Mesastone Case Study – Desert Arrow (Scottsdale, AZ)

Profile: Desert Arrow
Scottsdale, AZ

Winner of the 2012 National Concrete Masonry Association (NCMA) Residential Design Award of Excellence, the 5502-square foot residential home known as Desert Arrow is part of the 8,000-acre DC Ranch planned community of Scottsdale, AZ. The glass and masonry design allows the home to become one with the natural landscape. Various applications of rough-hewn Mesastone® masonry mimic the properties of the surrounding McDowell Mountains and flow seamlessly from the exterior into the interior of the home. In addition to creating a congruent dimensional design, extending the masonry walls throughout the interior created a thermal lag, thus offering natural cooling by day and warmth by night. The angular design of the structure and roofline mimics both the profile of the mountainous backdrop and the angular nature of the masonry.

Design Firm: Swaback Partners, pllc - Scottsdale, AZ
Lead Architect: Vermpm D. Swaback. FAIA. FAICP
General Contractor: Kitchell Contractors - Phoenix, AZ
Mason Contractor: Sutter Masonry Components - El Mirage, AZ

Featured Product >> Trenwyth® Mesastone®

Mesastone textured masonry units are pre-finished architectural concrete blocks that are manufactured with colored aggregates, pigmented uniformly, and finished to an even texture. Available in a variety of shapes, colors, and scoring patterns, its textured surface resembles split face block, but is more uniform, easier to lay-up, and provides a straighter sight line to your buildings.

For the Desert Arrow project, four different applications of Mesastone were used to create a unique three-dimensional design:

8"x4"x16" site walls with a light sand blast finish
8"x8"x16" fluted exterior and interior walls with a light sand finish
Custom relief fireplace accent blocks
Custom smooth fireplace accent blocks