Caldera Sky Islands Southern
Text description provided by the architects. The story of this place is rooted deep in the history and culture of the region.The biodiversity of the region is part of the larger Madrean Archipelago, which stretches from the Sonoran to Chihuahuan deserts, to parts of Southern Arizona, Southern New Mexico, and parts of Far West Texas. The sky island ranges serve as beacons for life and inhabitants in the vast desert landscape. They are links in a chain that connect the northern end of the Sierra Madres in Mexico, and are essential in the story of life in the region; in form of refuge and resource base for migrating tribes, birds, and predators moving through the vast openness. © Cade HayesThe structure is a 945 square foot shelter located on the southwestern bajada of the Canelo Hills in Southern Arizona’s San Rafael Valley, a high desert two hours southeast of Tucson and 15 miles north of the international border between the U.S. It sits just under 5000 feet above sea level, nestled amongst emory oaks and manzanitas. The structure emerges from the native grasses that define the hillside and open ranges beyond.
Sky Islands Caldera
The siting of the house was a negotiation to find a balance between the prospect of the open range and mountains, and the refuge from hunters, discoverers and potential migrants. You are not aware of the structure until you are upon it. © Cade HayesTo emphasize this refuge quality, the material of the structure was chosen to blend in with the environment, and the program made to close down. The mass walls are constructed of poured lava crete, a process and product refined by the material’s pioneer, Paul Schwam, and used in the region’s architectural community, notably by Paul Weiner and Design Build Collaborative. It is seen by locals as a new vernacular material, comprised of a mixture of red scoria, a pulverized lava rock, cement, and water that forms a self-supporting semi-fluid material which is rammed into formwork similar to rammed earth. The resulting effect was a subtle contrast to the grasses around, changing subtly to the qualities of light through the year, blends harmoniously with the landscape appearing as if it belonged there with the grass, oaks, manzanitas and rocks.
Caldera Sky Islands Southern California
© Cade HayesAll of the windows are operable, as well as the kicks and transoms of the living room window wall, bedroom entry and slot windows that harness and pull air out of the Zaguan and through the living and sleeping zones. An extra door was added to the access to the sleeping zone, so that when both are open, the small wood burning stove can also heat the Zaguan space for dinner parties and small gatherings when desired. This operability further engages the owner as an active participant in the experience of the house.
Rhyolite formations at Chiricahua National MonumentNPS PhotoBy far the most noticeable natural features in the park are the rhyolite rock pinnacles for which the monument was created to protect. Rising sometimes hundreds of feet into the air, many of these pinnacles are balancing on a small base, seemingly ready to topple over at any time. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), during their occupation here in the 1930s, named many of the rock formations that can be seen today.Other geologic features of the park include shallow caves, faults, mountain formations, ancient lava flows, and a giant volcanic caldera. The Turkey Creek Caldera is located just to the south of the park. A cataclysmic volcanic eruption, roughly 27 million years ago, spewed ash and molten debris at super-sonic speeds and formed the approximately 12 mile wide caldera.
Ash and debris settled and compacted, forming a thick layer of rock called rhyolite tuff. This rock layer has fissured and eroded over time, forming the spectacular rock pillars of Chiricahua National Monument. The Chiricahua Mountains are one of many in southern Arizona, and are part of the largerAn important natural feature found in the park, and integral to the presence of, is water. Although water flows only intermittently on the surface, the park contains all or parts of five major watersheds in the the northern Chiricahua Mountains. Seeps and springs are vital to the survival of most faunal species, and the one wetland marsh in the monument is host to two sensitive plant species. Groundwater supplies 100% of that needed by both the visitors to the monument and the monument staff. The combination of these natural features as related to geology and water, along with other resource necessities, have helped to determine the floral communities of the monument.
Caldera Band Members
Rich in diversity, the monument boasts many plant communities, including grasslands, deciduous and evergreen forests, scrublands, and deserts. These plant communities intermix throughout the monument, creating a truly diverse mosaic of species associations. Arizona Geology Magazine, accessed April 6, 2017.Want to learn more about the geologic features of Chiricahua National Monument? This provides detailed information, as well as maps and photographs. Also check out the for the monument.