Team / Peter Strzebniok, Kelly Ishida Sloan, Coleen Whitman
Photography / Joe Fletcher Photography
Type / Architectural Design, Interior Design
Location / Scotty’s Junction, Nevada
Year / 2010

Rondolino Residence entryway. — The house sits in a concrete plinth gives the owner the impression to float over to overlook the scenery.

Rondolino Residence living area. — The living area faces the large transparent floor-to-ceiling windows that provide a scenery of the surroundings.

Rondolino Residence dining area. — The dining and living area integrates into the same space.

Rondolino Residence kitchen. — The kitchen, dining, and living area integrate into the same space.

Rondolino Residence working space. — A minimal working space is situated near the floor-to-ceiling window.

Rondolino Residence bedroom. — The master bedroom offers you a scenic and comfortable place to relax.

Rondolino Residence bathroom. — A light green mosaic of tiles and walls enclosed the bathroom.

Rondolino Residence scenery. — The property is isolated in the beauty of the desert, the remoteness of the site is framed by mountains to the north and Death Valley to the West.

The Rondolino residence is based on the Modulome, the prefabricated, modular housing system first designed by nottoscale in 2002. Located on a 40-acre site in the desert more than 100 miles north of Las Vegas, Nevada, the property is framed by mountains to the north and Death Valley to the West.

One of the main design considerations was to take advantage of the views and to give the owner the feeling to be in the middle of the desert even though he is inside the house or on the extensive deck. Nottoscale introduced large floor-to-ceiling windows in all the living quarters and raised the building on a concrete plinth, which seems to emerge out of the desert landscape while overlooking the scenery. This gives the user the impression to float over, yet being completely immersed in the desert landscape.

While isolation is much of the beauty of the property, the remoteness of the site, together with a limited construction budget, made prefabrication for this structure almost a necessity. Prefabricating major building elements and systems elsewhere minimized staff time onsite for staging, assembling, and finishing, which ultimately kept the cost down.

Since the client lives in Rome, Italy, the entire pre-design and building process is managed by nottoscale, literally providing a “turn-key” home. Also due to its remote location, the home is completely independent of traditional public amenities and services, offering an opportunity to integrate sustainable building systems, design, and materials, such as passive solar design, natural ventilation, and other alternative renewable energy sources.