Architect Lloyd Russell’s Rimrock Ranch House is a tasty blend of practical functionality and sustainable style.  The home sits 4,500 feet above sea level in the California desert outside Palm Springs.  Russell, who describes his design aesthetic as “handmade modernism,” created the canopied home to both integrate, and flourish in, the challenging desert environment.

The most striking feature of the residence is its steel canopy designed to shield the home from the sun’s unforgiving rays and winter snowfalls, while simultaneously promoting air flow and passive cooling.  The exterior walls of the the house consist of a well thought out combination of corrugated steel and sliding glass.  Many of the home’s fixtures and details are recycled or salvaged providing the space both sustainable function and character.  The home is designed and situated to take advantage of its open patio space and desert surroundings.

The modern take on ranch-style living space recently won the AIA San Diego architectural design award.

Rimrock was built for Jim Austin, (photos by Harrison Photography).