Off-The-Grid Living In The High Arizona Desert

“This region is the landscape and folklore of the quintessential Wild West.”The 945 square foot shelter’s design is strongly shaped by the region’s climate history. Situated in the Canelo Hills of Southern Arizona’s San Rafael Valley, just 15 miles north of the US-Mexico border, the shelter blends in with the surrounding emory oaks and manzanitas, yet was designed as an open-plan space, with outdoor living and sleeping zones. In this way, it is both a refuge from and a portal to the desert landscape. “From native agricultural cultures, to nomadic hunter-gatherers, to conquistadors and missionaries, to pioneers, miners, cattle, and cowboys, to militia, migrants, and narcotraficantes, this region is the landscape and folklore of the quintessential Wild West,” explain the architects.