“The exquisitely detailed and executed rammed earth walls artfully express the natural and the man-made in this ephemeral architectural composition.”
— Paul Danna, FAIA
Location Marfa
Architect Lake|Flato Architects
Contractor Pilgrim Building Company
Design Team Bob Harris, FAIA, Jennifer Young, AIA
Rammed Earth Enabler Austin
Mechanical Engineers MJ Structures, Positive Energy
Building Envelope Positive Energy
Millwork Flitch
Landscape Architect Ten Eyck Landscape Architects
Located just beyond the edge of town, the Marfa Ranch is situated on a low rise with dramatic views of pristine desert grassland in all directions. The house, which cuts a low profile, comprises eight structures organized around a central courtyard shaded by native mesquites. Built of two-foot-thick rammed earth walls, the home protects its inhabitants from the extremes of the region — heat, cold, and wind — while allowing them to connect with the landscape through lightweight breezeways and porches, a mirador perched above the main bedroom, and an outdoor walkway connecting to a pool and hot tub.