House No.

5
Star Axis, New Mexico
MOS Architects
Author(s): MOS Architects, New York
City.
Project Team: Michael Meredith, Hilary
Sample, Ashley Bigham, Jason Bond,
Ryan Culligan, Gideon Danilowitz,
Michael Faciejew, Steve Gertner, Jason
Kim, Kera Lagios, Ryan Ludwig, Ga-
brielle Marcoux, Meredith McDaniel,
Elijah Porter, Michael Smith, Mathew
Staudt, Marrikka Tro!er.
Structural Engineers: Edward Stanley
Engineers
Climate Engineer: Paul Stoller, Atelier
Ten
Comple"on Year: 2014
Program: Television Headquarters (TV
studios, offices, broadcas"ng and pro-
duc"on facili"es)
Sq. Area: 1500 $2
Loca"on: Star Axis, New Mexico

The Museum of Outdoor Arts Element House is a modular building designed as

a guest house and visitor center for Star Axis, a nearby land art project by Charles
Ross in New Mexico. Constructed en"rely from energy-efficient technology
that’s compa"ble with the hot climate of its surroundings, it is a prime example
of sustainable housing. Designed to operate completely independently of public
u"li"es, Element House employs passive ven"la"on and sunligh"ng systems as its
main power sources.

BSk (cold semi-arid) climate

The environment is a desert in low-la"tude semiarid steppe regions. It is transi"onal

to the tropical wet-dry climate and the mediterranean climate on its sides. It has
a cooler, we!er winter. Annual precipita"on totals are greater than in tropical and
subtropical desert climates.

2
Gustavo Crembil, faculty Emily Cain - Jonah Fields HOUSE
- Tricia Huang
NO.5 (MOS ARCHITECTS) 2
Case Studies S18
 10
5
N

50 200

5 10

3 HOUSE NO. 5 (MOS ARCHITECTS) Case Studies S18 Gustavo Crembil, faculty Emily Cain - Jonah Fields - Tricia Huang 4
 DINING ROOM OFFICE

LIVING ROOM BATHROOM

MASTER
AND GUEST
BEDROOMS KITCHEN

BATTERY ROOM

Dining Room
Living Room
Master Bedroom
Guest Bedroom
Office
Bathroom
Kitchen
Battery Room

5 HOUSE NO. 5 (MOS ARCHITECTS) Case Studies S18 Gustavo Crembil, faculty Emily Cain - Jonah Fields - Tricia Huang 6
 EQUINOX
NE ! SE

SUMMER
NE ! SE

WINTER
NE ! NW

7 HOUSE NO. 5 (MOS ARCHITECTS) Case Studies S18 Gustavo Crembil, faculty Emily Cain - Jonah Fields - Tricia Huang 8
DESCRIPTION References:
The Element House is only one-story and spans across the site horizontally in an MOS Architects. “House No.5 Element House.” MOS Architects. MOS Architects.
abstract, yet ordered layout. The organiza!on is based on an addi!ve geometric Web. 4 May 2018.
system of growth where the house expands outward from one module a"er
Kahler, Gert. “A Small House with a Garden.” 2005, pp. 28-41.
another. Tradi!onally, a hearth or stairs act as the revolving point for a house.
However, in this case, neither of those are present. The hearth is represented as a Lee, Christopher C.M. “Type.” 16 August 2011.
field of displaced chimneys ac!ng as skylights rather than for hea!ng purposes; this Schneider, Friederike. “The Floor Plan Idea.” 200, pp. 30-35.
makes sense considering the desert climate of the house’s surroundings.
In summary, the plan of the house is very basic. It’s a one-floor massive, open
volume with collabora!ve and private spaces clearly separated into two sides. This
floor plan is thus categorized as one with dividing elements. The main focus is on
a large, open space, but there exist divisions such as walls separa!ng the private
areas, the bedrooms and the bathroom. The kitchen is rotated away from the living
room as a mark of a what is solely a func!onal area separate from the others. The
living room connects the kitchen and dining area to the res!ng rooms. Connec!ng
one bedroom to the living room is a recrea!on room, which marks the transi!on
from ac!vity to rest. The programs are simple: usage rooms, recrea!onal rooms,
and res!ng rooms. It shows that the purpose of this house lies solely in its ability to
func!on for a small family.
An interior view from the dining room
The overall typology of the house is then summarized as a large open space peering into the kitchen and the living
confined into an angular enclosure. The two areas of the house are marked clearly room.
and circula!on is coherently obvious. However, the one unique aspect of the house
is the fact that there are entrances from all the rooms, including the bathroom.
The living room is marked on the plan as the main entrance, but in perspec!ve,
circula!on can really start from any point. The rooms become dis!nct blocks strung
together into one space. Despite this disjunc!on on the exterior, the interior shows
a clear unity. It is abstrac!on and individuality on the outside, but an architecture of
flowing movement on the inside.
The plan focuses on the most fundamental aspects of a house. The overall typology The Element House at sunset. The reflec!vity of the material used to build the
appears to be very simple. However, when it comes down to the analysis of the exterior walls is shown here. This material helps with the natural sunligh!ng systems
Element House in depth, there appears to be a clear considera!on in how the house in the opera!ons of the house.
is put together and how it can relate to the barren desert surroundings it lies in both
spa!ally and aesthe!cally. It becomes a considera!on of clu%er versus openness.
As men!oned, the site is a desert terrain. The house itself is located far away from
major towns and structures. The closest monument would be the Star Axis, the
very structure the house was built for. The house sits on a neutral plain surrounded
by lightly raised hills. It is surrounded by several shrubs and trees to give it some
protec!on from the sun. A private road leads the house to the major roads which
connect it to the nearby towns.
To live in the Element House would mean to lead a lifestyle of li%le ac!vity. The The wide desert climate of Anton Chico,
loca!on is in an isolated desert, though there is a decent distance from nearby the loca!on of the Element House.
towns. This would s!ll mean that travel for recrea!on and needs become !me-
consuming. In addi!on, the house is considered rela!vely small to medium size with
just enough room for a small family. There are two bedrooms and one bathroom,
but plenty of collabora!ve space. The house is designed to work independently of
public u!li!es and has passive ven!la!on and sunligh!ng systems in the opera!ons.
The technology reduces energy usage and the need for costly mechanical
equipment, thus making for a very sustainable living. This is an impressive benefit,
but the focus then becomes more on its purpose. The house makes for a great
vaca!on home, but it may not be the best choice for a long-term home considering
the loca!on.

Gustavo Crembil, faculty Emily Cain - Jonah Fields - Tricia Huang 9 Gustavo Crembil, faculty Emily Cain - Jonah Fields - Tricia Huang 10