The Tempe Titan

The Sosnowski House sizes up modern.

A monument to modernism and iconic in stature, the Sosnowski House in Tempe, AZ flexes its muscles in an otherwise demure neighborhood. Glass and steel boxes slide over and under each other in tectonic fashion; the lines are clean, uncomplicated.  

Fifties-era Tempe—in this case, a section of town dense with G.I. Bill-funded housing—is an unlikely place to find such a home, but the site’s convenience, the area’s growing vibrancy and the proximity to ASU (the owners’ alma mater) appealed to Chris and Kim Sosnowski enough to build their modern dream here. There has been some discussion of a push for historic designation for the neighborhood, but Chris Sosnowski hopes to break out of that box with one of his own. Chris asks, “What's historic about poor design and poor construction?”

The Sosnowskis enlisted Chen + Suchart Studio, who has partnered on several projects with Chris’ firm, AED Structural Engineers. The pairing seemed natural, as Chris remarks, “I have worked with Tommy and Patricia as their structural engineer for many years now. I have always liked their insight and design sensibilities.” The happy marriage birthed quite the modern marvel.

Regarding the process, Thamarit Suchart states, “Our design process is always a strongly interactive discussion. Initially we designed something that suppressed the structure, something in which the spans were mysteriously being supported yet provided large open spaces. Chris wanted to go the other direction and explicitly say, ‘This is how it is working!’ Thus the large Virendeel truss houses the master suite and is elevated above the living space, but more so, it gives iconography to the project.”

Marked both by simplicity and attention to detail, the courtyard home’s defining characteristic is indeed its upper-level Virendeel trusses, structural elements that call out Chris’ profession as a structural engineer. The lower level’s ceiling is made of composite metal deck, a material that architects use structurally but that Sosnowski chose to expose.

The materials are basic. CMU walls, expanses of glass and steel and birch plywood together give texture to the overall design scheme. The steel package is 27 tons with the two Virendeel trusses measuring in at 63 feet long and 11 feet tall and acting as the sole support for the concrete floor deck and the upper roof. The exterior is clad in 20 gauge rusted steel siding and Trespa, a manmade material that acts as a rain screen.  

The blurred distinction between inside and out conjures images of Phillip Johnson’s Glass House, which is a true vanguard of modern design. In fact, this play on private and public is what the Sosnowskis consider to be their favorite feature. Upstairs, the secluded, luxurious master suite overlooks the pool and courtyard below, whereas downstairs, sliders to the north and south provide cross-ventilation and an open, light quality common to modern construction. You can see right through the Sosnowski House, from streetside to poolside.

Innovative details include a hall-length frosted window that runs along the floor, filtering in light for one’s footsteps. The most practical and interesting design feature is the moving shade structure in the back courtyard. Manually operated, the rolling canopy allows one to adjust coverage with the movement of the sun – a perfectly logical element for optimized summer pool time.
 
The Sosnowski House is Chen + Suchart Studio’s third residential project with several others already on the boards. Having moved here in 2002, Patricia and Thamarit have been proactive in leaving their imprint on the desert landscape (Thamarit ‘daylights’ at Wendell Brunette Architects). As Rhode Island School of Design and Harvard Graduate School of Design grads, they bring East Coast problem-solving skills to design issues posed by Southwestern circumstances.

The Sosnowski House calls to a morphing design aesthetic here in the Valley and beyond. “The project is about something that looks to the future of the neighborhood and raises the question of how one defines ‘home’ in the 21st century. Ideas of iconography and domesticity are being challenged. For these reasons, people might drive by and see the house and not understand it, but at least the project sparks something in that passerby’s mind. If it were just another pitched roof stucco house, no questions would be asked.”

The Sosnowski House had the honor of being featured on 2007’s Modern Phoenix AIA Home Tour and is located at 406 West 14th Street in Tempe, AZ. A drive by comes highly recommended.