Concept, Design, Build

The Periphery is a two-bedroom home quietly embedded in Utah’s remote high desert, adjacent to the boundary of the 1.8-million-acre Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument. Elevated above slickrock and wetlands at 6,300 feet, the house occupies a landscape shaped by wind, water, and time. It is both refuge and instrument—designed to frame light, silence, and the subtle rhythms of the desert.

 

Designed and built over four years by Locus Studio, the home explores the threshold between habitation and exposure. Its siting is deliberate: nestled among weathered juniper and pinyon, the structure hovers lightly above the land, preserving fragile desert ecology while anchoring itself to the site’s geologic foundation. From its cantilevered concrete deck to the sculptural interplay of steel, oak, and glass, the design aims to dissolve the boundary between interior and exterior.

CREDITS

Architectural Design: Locus Studio

Structural Engineer: MJ Structural Engineers

Permit Drawings: Cirque Studios

Contractor: Locus Studio

Framing: Cohabit Building Collective

Primary Materials: Concrete, steel, red oak

Casework: Locus Studio

Windows and Doors: Western Window Systems

Architectural Hardware: Sugatsune

HVAC: Mitsubishi heat pumps, Zehnder ERV

Lighting: Lutron Radio RA3, Waveform, Soraa