Forrest Residence - Escalante Grand Staircase National Monument, Utah

Inspired by a backpacking trip into Coyote Gulch in Utah's Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, the entry sequence for this residence is carefully orchestrated to make the arrival an engaging experience. The trail into the gulch follows a dry wash across the desert floor, gradually descending into a winding red-rock canyon with a shallow, pebble-bottomed creek, before passing beneath Jacob's Arch - a wide sandstone arch that forms the gateway for the final stretch leading to the confluence with the Escalante River. It is an eight-mile hike. But with new scenery unfolding at every turn, and the idyllic pleasure of walking through the cool creek on a hot day, the distance passes effortlessly. The design of this home recreates this experience architecturally. Visitors take stepping stones across a pond, descend a winding path between building walls, and pass under a bridge to a sunken courtyard before finally reaching the front door. The journey enhances the sense of arrival.

The home is oriented along an axis perpendicular to the cliff edge to give all the secondary spaces oblique views up and down the canyon edge. This saves the prime view specifically for the great room, giving it hierarchical importance.

Soundtrack to project: