FORT 137

This installment of the Oscar Riera Ojeda Masterpiece series focuses on Fort 137 by Daniel Joseph Chenin. Set in a remote location to the west of Las Vegas, Nevada, the brief was for a residence that established a direct connection to its surroundings in a sustainable, environmentally-friendly manner using locally-sourced materials as much as possible.

In response, Chenin produced an open structure divided into three different levels with each volume carefully placed to be read as a series of rock masses and also to protect against the harsh sun and wind while also offering uninterrupted views of the surrounding landscape. This book provides a privileged glimpse into the conception and execution of this superlative structure with a text by the renowned architectural critic Aaron Betsky, an interview with the architect, sumptuous photography by Stetson Ybarra, XXXX and XXXX, illuminating drawings, diagrams and layouts. An homage to the forts built when the area was first being settled, the building sits resplendently alone in the tranquility of the landscape: truly a modern masterpiece.