Drewett Works project, STRATA was featured in the 2023 edition of Southwest Style. We are grateful to publisher/writer Michele Perillo for featuring this monumental residence and to photographer Werner Segarra for his tremendous talent.
Peaceful Oasis
Photography by Werner Segarra
Settled in on over 250 acres of lush desert landscape, this expansive family compound was designed with one thing in mind — solitude.
Architect C.P. Drewett of Drewett Works enlisted the expertise of fellow industry greats — builder Jeremy Meek of Desert Star Construction, interior designer David Michael Miller and landscape designer Jeff Berghoff of Berghoff Design — to make this vision a reality.
With a stealth-like approach to this project, CP Drewett’s well thought-out assemblage of key players was critical. The ambitious scope of STRATA was daunting from the get-go, and its success required an all-star team — start to finish.
Beyond the stellar primary crew, the various hand-selected tradesmen from such revered companies as Sirewall USA, Cyber Technology Group, Linear Fine Woodworking, Premiere Wood Floors, Stockett Tile & Granite Co. and Phoenician Pool Construction, alongside respected suppliers such as Clyde Hardware, Bulthaup, Lisa Sette Gallery and John Brooks showroom placed this project in a league of its own.
These companies are in fact some of the best-of-the-best in the history of luxury home building in the state of Arizona. There were no rookies on board. And with Desert Star Construction strategically placed at the helm by famed-architect C.P. Drewett, a near guarantee of success was assured.
In the end, the magnificence of this project and all of its fine detail, precision and technology is clear evidence of what level of greatness can be attained when a fellowship of masters come together and their good minds combine to work in perfect harmony. STRATA will live on a testament to this.
Lending itself to an overall feeling of retreat with a zen-like luxury, Miller’s selection of visual and tactile components for the interior mirrors much of the surrounding landscape with its rich tones and earthen textures. Also reflected are the subtle hues of the structure’s natural wood, stone and cool steel.
Despite its grand scale, the home is, above all, comfortable. It is a peaceful sanctuary that is at once stylishly chic and casually elegant. The design is purposeful throughout. Each space serves to accommodate multiple uses without any waste. The overall design is based on reason without sentiment for clutter or excess in design.
Everything has its purpose, and in many instances, the purpose is multifaceted and adaptable to many uses. For instance, each living area is situated and furnished in a manner that will accommodate a variety of occasions — from a small, intimate family gathering to a large-scale philanthropic event.
Upon a canvas of open desert terrain that literally spans as far as the eye can see, STRATA was conceived — and with it far more than an architectural adventure began. Armed with a team of masters who strategically navigated through every obstacle imaginable, from supply chain challenges to labor and trucking issues, this project was still maintained on course.
Architect, C.P. Drewett reminds us that iron does in fact sharpen iron. And in this instance, the whetted two-edged sword that was lifted daily at STRATA certainly delivered a mightier blow than any single-sided element or person ever could. He continues to say that “we were all better for each other and for the experience.
It made us stronger” — the outcome of which is poignantly seen in the tabletop book — STRATA a desert dwelling — spring 2023 release. Within the pages is a chronicle of the process. Readers will enjoy more than a glimpse of the creation that resulted from the solidity of joined efforts — a photographic journal of a structure that could very well become one of Arizona’s most noted residential feats, both technically and logistically, in design and in construction.
The idea was to create a home that enriched the land, a home that was actually at home on its site. If the distant mountain range could whisper the tale of a world that stood still, this home would quietly exist therein.
STRATA, a word by which this property has come to be known, is derived from the Latin word of the same. Its meaning is a blanketing of something, layers, lodes, veins, a stratification.
Perhaps initially, the residence was named this due to the home’s generous use of SIREWALL, a structurally insulated rammed earth product that is applied in layers and is used as a high-performance wall system? Or maybe its moniker was born out of the property’s unique topography — its underlying foundation and natural landscape? Whatever its origin, it is probably safe to say that the reference of STRATA has indeed evolved, and that it has become a far more meaningful appellation in terms of depicting the heart and soul of this structure.
STRATA is a modern day refuge for both family and friends. The layers of enjoyment and the level of satisfaction — be it from socializing, physical activity, sports, libations and culinary adventures, or simple relaxation and time spent alone or with others, away from the clammer of suburban life — all are served well within the walls of this compound.
It has often been said that a home is one’s happiness complete. Perhaps STRATA is just that, no more and certainly no less.
In January 2023, Drewett Works’ first book, “STRATA a desert dwelling” (Oscar Riera Ojeda Publishers), was published. Filled with vivid imagery by photographer Werner Segarra, informative text, and detailed drawings, the 268-page hardcover book offers an in-depth look into the makings of this extraordinary home.
For information on obtaining a copy of STRATA a desert dwelling, please click here.
Project Details//STRATA
Location: Phoenix, Ariz.
Architecture: Drewett Works
Builder: Desert Star Construction
Interiors: David Michael Miller Associates
Landscape designer: Berghoff Design Group
Photography: Werner Segarra
Recognition
STRATA a desert dwelling—The Book/May 2023
