Residence and studio at Gallina

Canyon, New Mexico, USA

The two-storey residence, built of sun-dried,

unstabilised and locally made adobes, pro-
vides spectacular views from its terraces
and roof top of the Gallina Canyon in the
Sangre De Christo Mountains, north of Taos,
New Mexico. It displays several features of
environment-conscious design, such as pas-
sive solar heating through a combination of
direct solar gain with a thermal chimney,
which distributes warm air to the cooler
rooms on the north side of the house. Elec-
tricity is backed up by a photovoltaic sys-
tem, and water from the roofs is harvested
for gardening purposes. Interior surfaces

show on-site mud plaster finishes, flagstone

floors and recycled oak beams.

Architect: ONE EARTH DESIGN, Joaquin Karcher,

Taos, NM, USA
Builder: Aqua Fria Construction, Ed Baca, Taos,
NM, USA
Completion: 2001
Area: 390 m2

162 Built examples