Arizona Courtyard House is a pavilion constructed with a system of standardized Corten steel structural components. The home demonstrates the flexibility of this sustainable building system to create a house of linear volumes, arranged to define a courtyard, with the main house to the south and east, a fitness center and lap pool to the north, and mountain views to the west.
It’s set on a plinth of concrete that rises 16” above the terrain, used to redirect stormwater around the house. The house is an open plan, based on a 7’ x 7’ modular system with columns spaced at 21’ on center. The two-way structural framing system allows for extensive cantilevers.
Corten steel was selected for its sustainable characteristics, and aesthetics, as its weathering is complementary to desert colors. The structural components are open to view, creating a contrast to the highly polished concrete floor throughout the house. The grid of beams overhead defines the ceiling and flows beyond the glass enclosure to create outdoor rooms in the courtyard, blurring the distinction between inside and out. Perforated, Corten roof panels allow filtered daylight from the sun to reach the courtyard below.
The exterior enclosure of the house is glass, with perforated sunscreens and press-formed louvers layered in front of the glass where shade or privacy is needed. This creates a sense of daylight in all interior spaces and a rich texture of shades and shadows on the exterior.
From architecture to agriculture to wildlife preservation, these Valley residents are proving that caring for the environment can be a part of our everyday lives.
David Hovey Jr.
President, chief operating officer and principal architect, Optima David Hovey Jr.’s passion for sustainability runs in the family. “My parents started doing green roofs back in the 1980s,” the architect says, referring to Eileen and David Hovey Sr., who founded Optima in 1978. Hovey, who joined the firm right after earning his masters degree in architecture, says sustainability is a driving force at Optima. “It’s a design approach that keeps the people and the environment at the forefront,” he says. The company’s latest project, Scottsdale’s Optima McDowell Mountain Village, will be the first residential development in the Southwest to be built under the International Green Construction and International Energy Conservation codes, and will have the nation’s largest private rainwater harvesting system. And, in keeping with the firm’s mission, it will make heavy use of biophilic design. “Biophilic is a trendy term right now, but it’s simply about connection to nature,” Hovey says. “So, green roofs, floor-to-ceiling glass, terraces, our signature vertical landscaping—those are all biophilic design.”
A modular prefabricated—meaning manufactured in an off-site factory—home by architects David Hovey Jr., AIA, and David Hovey Sr., FAIA, rests lightly on the land. With limited onsite construction, it was possible to maintain more than 90% of the boulders and vegetation. The system used to build this dwelling is sustainable up to the LEED Platinum level and can be built quickly and efficiently in any location, climate or terrain.
Architect David Hovey Jr., AIA, president and principal architect of the luxury real estate development firm Optima, was internationally recognized with two prestigious awards honoring his proprietary Optima DCHGlobal modular building system including the 2019 Architecture MasterPrize and the 2019 American Architecture Awards.
Valley architect David Hovey Jr., AIA, president and principal architect of the luxury real estate development firm Optima, was internationally recognized with two awards honoring his proprietary Optima DCHGlobal modular building system including the 2019 Architecture MasterPrize and the 2019 American Architecture Award. (Hovey Jr.’s well-known Valley projects include Optima Camelview and Optima Kierland.)
This 5,000-square-foot home made from steel, concrete, and glass took less than five months to build—but it’ll last forever.
Architect David Hovey Jr. has been finessing his prefabrication system since graduate school. When it came to building his own home, which he shares with his wife Misty Hyman and their two-year-old daughter, prefab design was the obvious choice. The home occupies an acre of arid Arizona land in Paradise Valley, with serene views of the mountains to the west.
Valley architect David Hovey Jr., AIA, president and principal architect of the luxury real estate development firm Optima, was internationally recognized with two awards honoring his proprietary Optima DCHGlobal modular building system including the 2019 Architecture MasterPrize and the 2019 American Architecture Award. (Hovey Jr.’s well-known Valley projects include Optima Camelview and Optima Kierland.)
Esteemed architect David Hovey Jr., AIA, president and principal architect of the luxury real estate development firm Optima, was internationally recognized with two prestigious awards honoring his proprietary Optima DCHGlobal modular building system including the 2019 Architecture MasterPrize and the 2019 American Architecture Award.
Scottsdale-based architect David Hovey Jr. was recently honored with two international architecture awards.
Mr. Hovey Jr., the president and principal architect of the luxury real estate development firm Optima, was internationally recognized with two “prestigious awards” honoring his proprietary Optima DCHGlobal modular building system including the 2019 Architecture MasterPrize and the 2019 American Architecture Award, according to a press release.
His Arizona Courtyard House, a private residence in Paradise Valley, won the 2019 Architecture MasterPrize for Architectural Design/Residential Architecture.
Completed in 2017, the home was built in less than five months using the Optima DCHGlobal system that he patented, demonstrating the flexibility of the system to create a home of linear volumes.
Whale Bay House, a private residence in Kerikeri, New Zealand, he also designed, took home the 2019 American Architecture Award in the private homes category, which is among the organization’s top honors.
Esteemed architect David Hovey Jr., AIA, president and principal architect of the luxury real estate development firm Optima, was internationally recognized this month with two prestigious awards honoring his proprietary Optima DCHGlobal modular building system including the 2019 Architecture MasterPrize and the 2019 American Architecture Award.
