Dry land has long carried a certain reputation—pounding sun, harsh temperature, maybe even inhospitable terrains—which is perhaps what makes homes built into the desert so fascinating. “The desert, with its rim of arid mountains spotted like the leopard’s skin or tattooed with amazing patterns of creation, is a grand garden,” Frank Lloyd Wright once said about the unique beauty of the topography, which has captured the attention of architects for centuries.
Though desert architecture has been around for as long as humans have been building shelters, more modern iterations can offer extremely valuable lessons on sustainability and vernacular design. When done well, homes in the desert tame the wild of arid conditions without overpowering the beauty of them. Below AD surveys seven incredible homes built into the desert that show the beauty of building in barren land.