Credits
From Ryley Johnson
Verner Architects is an Oakland-based architecture firm with a portfolio of Bay Area renovation projects that all seep with the modern aesthetic characteristic of the times. Their design philosophy is all about simple, modern forms arranged to maximize daylight, create visual and physical access to views, and establish a natural flow/organization of the interior spaces. A recent testament to this is a Tucson project that flipped the idea of a retirement house on its head and crafted a modern space to act as the perfect respite from the unrelenting desert sun.
Their first two days on-site were spent just "being" there: listening, watching, and feeling where the house should go and what the residents would want to see from their home. From there, Verner was able to use cost-efficient construction methods to edit down the client's wish list into a dream retirement house, but one that they could afford to build.
Of particular note are the roof form and slightly angled (trapezoid) floor plan that create visual interest inside and out, and keep the focus on the main mountain views. By limiting spending and focusing on nice windows, cantilevered roof over the glass corner, and concrete floors (and KISS elsewhere), Verner was able to finesse that much sought-after straddle between cost and end product.