THE BALL | PAYLORE HOUSE: AN EARLY PASSIVE SOLAR LANDMARK

Tucson-based Architect Arthur Brown was known as the “pioneer of solar design and recently, I had the pleasure to stay in one of his houses, called the Ball-Paylore house, named after the two young University of Arizona librarians who commissioned the project as “ a refuge in the desert.” Built in 1952, the hexagonal-shaped house is a true example of American modernism, utilizing a south-facing wall of glass built with movable sun shades to create an early passive solar system. The shades roll on casters at the rim of the patio slab and a track in the eave line, allowing its occupants to shield the house from direct sun throughout the day or to admit the sun when heating was needed. The small 1203 sq-ft site-specific house has been recently purchased and restored by the Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation. It can be rented via Airbnb here.