The Anamcara residence is located in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert, an iconic landscape of the American West. Tucked up against the McDowell Mountains, it sits on a high plateau overlooking Scottsdale and Phoenix . The house is tuned to this environment and provides direct sunshine inside in the winter months and to completely shade the living spaces from direct sunlight in the hot months. The building’s south elevation faces a desert preserve. Deep overhangs on this south side create outdoor living spaces and a zone of shade. The design intentionally creates an opening in the protective mass of the building to allow light into a central tree-shaded courtyard with a water feature. The courtyard is the symbolic center of the home and marks the point of arrival to a place of sanctuary and demonstrates how our firm intentionally works with client intention and the intersection of indoor and outdoor space.