Architecture Wednesday: Marfa Ranch

Sure, it’s out in the middle of nowhere; and sure it looks kind of desolate; and, yes, it’s Texas. But this home, located in the inhospitable Chihuahuan Desert and the Davis Mountains, sits in the small ranching and art community of Marfa in far west Texas.

And just beyond the edge of town on its own large expansive plot of land is Marfa Ranch, a place of simple beauty and near perfect isolation. It sits on a low rise with views in all directions forcing the house to settle naturally into its desert surroundings.

The rooms of Marfa Ranch are organized around a courtyard shaded by the dappled light of native mesquite trees with a small fount of collected rainwater that completes the oasis-like quality of this outdoor room. The thick rammed earth walls— a technique for constructing foundations, floors, and walls using compacted natural raw materials such as earth, chalk, lime, or gravel—protect the house from the extremes of the region—the heat of summer, cold of winter, and wind while the breezeways and a roof terrace connect the visitor with the landscape beyond. Situated on a low rise with views in all directions, the house cuts a low profile, settling naturally into its desert surroundings.

I am all about the rammed earth, which looks a little like sedimentary layers the walls; beautiful and eco-friendly. I also love the isolation and the wide flat landscape bordered by mountain ranges, and the roof terrace and the pool. It might make people less likely to just drop by, but is that really a bad thing?

Dwell