Woods + Dangaran continues to sublimate the modernist soul of the American Western desert with its recent project in Utah.

The residential designs of Woods + Dangaran, founded by Brett Woods and Joseph Dangaran, are still a feast for the eyes of lovers of modernist design and architecture in arid lands. Their first monograph (Éd. Rizzoli), which we highlighted in the pages ofAcumen (29), took stock of their attachment to this post-war American movement and their constant celebration of it. Rectilinear forms, open-plan spaces, eco-friendly materials, landscaping, modernist and contemporary furniture... All of this can be found in one of their recent projects, Moccasin Flats, further magnifying a revolutionary art of living adapted to the ^21st century. The architects invite us to Hurricane, a Utah town of over 20,000 inhabitants, located just outside the Zion National Park Nature Reserve.

Blending into the landscape

The rigorous geometry of the three residences embraces the arid landscape, softened by the native vegetation. These parallelepipeds create an organic visual contrast to the extreme verticality of the raw mesa so typical of the American West. They offer both privacy and framed views of the desert panorama. The structure of plaster, stone and local concrete blends seamlessly into the setting. " On the outside, passers-by may not even notice the houses exist," explains Joseph Dangaran. As for the open-plan interiors, with their 3 m high ceilings, they generously let in the sun, which floods the softly Brutalist-style dwellings through atriums, skylights and glass skybridges. The ensemble is enhanced by a full-length infinity pool, an invitation to well-being and outdoor conviviality.

Nathalie Dassa

woodsdangaran.com