The concept behind this one-story adobe residence for a couple near Tucson, Arizona was to use traditional adobe techniques in a modern way. The clients and design team prioritized locating the house sensitively to preserve the natural features of the one acre site. Three large suguaro cacti, what became known as the “cactus axis,” defined the organizing scheme for the site. One enters across a dramatic steel bridge over a preserved arroyo, and through a courtyard between guest house and main residence into a great room of living and dining areas facing the desert landscape.