Arizona's Dialogue House Has Something New to Say
The story of the Dialogue House in Phoenix spans a decade and a half. Architect Wendell Burnette designed the house in the late 1990s, earning a prestigious Progressive Architecture Award in 1999. It was built for one client but fell into disrepair. The new owners, the Hylands, bought the house in 2010 when they were newly engaged and hired Burnette to help fix it up and complete the vision he had started years before. The result is a minimalist masterpiece that stands out in its desert setting.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Thomas and Laura Hyland
Location: Phoenix
Size: 2,545 square feet; 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms
That's interesting: The house's name refers to the dialogue between the house and the pool; the former is extroverted and the latter is introverted.
by the construction zone, ltd. »
The house sits on a corner lot at the base of Echo Mountain, among some fairly unremarkable houses from the 1950s and '60s. It has two stories and sits on the high side of the property; there are steps down to the pool, from which we are looking here. The top-floor living area sits behind a huge picture window that looks to the south and distant views of downtown Phoenix and the Sierra Estrella mountain range.
by the construction zone, ltd. »
Here is a view from the living area and its terrace. The glow of Phoenix is undeniable, but the pool is its own attraction. From this view we get an idea of the dialogue the house and pool have: the former looks out to the expanse of the mountains and desert urbanity, while the tall walls of the latter block out the same and put the focus, as we'll see, on the sky.
by the construction zone, ltd. »
While this house is on the south side of the mountain, Burnette's own house (completed in 1995) is nearby, on the north side of the mountain. Burnette articulated his own split-level house as two parallel concrete-block walls with glazed ends and an entry court in the middle of the plan. A similar tactic obviously occurs in the Dialogue House's oversize picture window. A small courtyard also is provided on the west side of the house, behind the wall on the left here.
by the construction zone, ltd. »
When the Hylands purchased the house, the stucco exterior was so far gone that it needed to be completely replaced. Before that the stucco was finished a deep red, sitting above the dark walls of the ground floor. (See many photos of the house in its earlier days here.) But in the house's transformation, Burnette made the stucco darker and more varied, less even across its surface. The effect is mottled, like the desert earth of the landscape. It also sets up a distinction between the dark exterior and light interior, a noticeable trend.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Thomas and Laura Hyland
Location: Phoenix
Size: 2,545 square feet; 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms
That's interesting: The house's name refers to the dialogue between the house and the pool; the former is extroverted and the latter is introverted.
by the construction zone, ltd. »
The house sits on a corner lot at the base of Echo Mountain, among some fairly unremarkable houses from the 1950s and '60s. It has two stories and sits on the high side of the property; there are steps down to the pool, from which we are looking here. The top-floor living area sits behind a huge picture window that looks to the south and distant views of downtown Phoenix and the Sierra Estrella mountain range.
by the construction zone, ltd. »
Here is a view from the living area and its terrace. The glow of Phoenix is undeniable, but the pool is its own attraction. From this view we get an idea of the dialogue the house and pool have: the former looks out to the expanse of the mountains and desert urbanity, while the tall walls of the latter block out the same and put the focus, as we'll see, on the sky.
by the construction zone, ltd. »
While this house is on the south side of the mountain, Burnette's own house (completed in 1995) is nearby, on the north side of the mountain. Burnette articulated his own split-level house as two parallel concrete-block walls with glazed ends and an entry court in the middle of the plan. A similar tactic obviously occurs in the Dialogue House's oversize picture window. A small courtyard also is provided on the west side of the house, behind the wall on the left here.
by the construction zone, ltd. »
When the Hylands purchased the house, the stucco exterior was so far gone that it needed to be completely replaced. Before that the stucco was finished a deep red, sitting above the dark walls of the ground floor. (See many photos of the house in its earlier days here.) But in the house's transformation, Burnette made the stucco darker and more varied, less even across its surface. The effect is mottled, like the desert earth of the landscape. It also sets up a distinction between the dark exterior and light interior, a noticeable trend.
