The Pond House – William P. Bruder FAIA Architect

As Featured in the New York Times: 

At the top of Cave Creek, The Pond House sits at the blurred line between desert and riparian. A natural swimming hole (some times a pond and at others, a remembrance of water), Will Bruder created a beautifully scaled sanctuary that encases the owners’ everyday needs with luxury. This award-winning home is about site, location, and detail: a weekend retreat that could welcome a year’s stay, a calm idyll of scenic contemplation where the noise of urban materialism would retreat into the possibility of water and the rustle of cottonwood leaves. Surrounded by calm, natural beauty and the most natural palette of material, the very human scale of this home says “stay”.

Bruder masterfully sited the home to nestle against the site, yet all but disappear; a sculptural wall and line that emerges from the earth. Natural materials make it look at once ancient and modern. Water quietly flows down a natural flagstone stair. A narrow slot of colored glass guides you to the door in a welcome mat of light. Strategically placed windows showcase the undisturbed Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area. Carefully crafted to comfort, the architect selected materials, textures, and volume to give this space its warmth and scale. Large sliding glass doors, a see-through hearth, and spacious cantilevered concrete living deck dissolve the line between in and out. Selectively placed windows of glass and colored translucent resins frame unexpected vistas and perspectives.