Kiva-Inspired Abode

When our clients set out to design their dream home, they were looking for the same features that many homeowners want in a modern home—an open layout, space to entertain, a large master suite, and efficient amenities such as heated floors. The architectural style they chose to achieve this, however, is rooted in ancient tradition.

The homeowners opted for a southwestern home built using time-honored techniques and materials. The scale has been adapted to suit a large single family ranch, however, the home is based on the traditionally small and intimate Native American kiva. A kiva is a typically round, underground or partially underground room entered by ladder and used for religious ceremonies or councils by the Puebloans. Our clients wanted to find that same sense of sanctimonious repose and warmth in their home.

Although the finished space is not underground and, of course, includes windows, doors, and hallways leading off to separate wings, the home retains its focus on the roundness of a kiva, feeling inclusive and safe, with no true corners to be found anywhere. The home was built using steel studs and rebar, layered with so much concrete that the walls are two feet thick, providing natural insulation. 

Our clients wanted the home to feel authentic to the Pueblo tradition, so they brought in skilled artisans to hand-build adobe fireplaces and niches, and used rough-hewn reclaimed wood for the lintels, vigas, and latillas. This home inspires community and warmth, with its round, central common areas enveloping visitors and inhabitants in an almost sacred space, flooded with sunlight in the morning, and the dancing light of flickery flames in the evenings.