April 1, 2022 KEYWORDS biophilic design / Las Vegas / modern residential architecture Order Reprints No Comments ✕

To create a new standard for luxurious modern living in Las Vegas, Blue Heron development firm set out to combine the natural beauty of the Mojave Desert with the theatricality of the city of Las Vegas. The result? A 15,000-square-foot home called “Vegas Modern 001” that pushes the boundaries of indoor-outdoor living with modern technology, located in the MacDonald Highlands community in Henderson, Nevada.

Click to enlarge.

With multistory sets of glass doors that erase the division between the living areas and outdoor areas, water elements that wrap around the home from entry to bedrooms, and natural materials that tie the interior of the home to the desert outside, the home incorporates both biophilic design and advanced technology.

“Biophilic design is basically the study of how human beings interpret and understand their environment. It’s specifically how people respond to nature,” Tyler Jones, CEO of Blue Heron said. “And you know, when you're out in the woods or out somewhere in the natural world, you typically feel good.”

Desert plants and stone channels flow from outside to inside, connecting shared and private spaces. The massive window walls completely retreat into pockets, opening the home to the outdoors with views of the mountains and the Las Vegas Strip.

“We frame the spaces with the architecture. Where you sit, how you relax, how you enjoy the spaces is all very deliberately focused on that city view,” Jones said. “And we want to bring the city into the space.”

The entrance leads visitors along a water feature, ending with a spectacular view of the city framed by natural stone walls and desert plants. Stepping into the main living area, they are surrounded by more water elements and can open the walls with the touch of a button. In fact, all of the homes smart features can be operated from touch pads located in every room.

“We also really like to think about the home as being appropriate to our time and place, our culture, and the technology that's available,” Jones said. “There's an energy and there's a spirit that comes from the city and from the modern lifestyle in Las Vegas. We're talking about digital media and kind of this playful kind of vibe that we have in some big dramatic moments.”

Jones chose to use Western Window Systems products because of the trust he has built with the company. With the ability to create custom large glass panes and massive sliding glass doors with slim profiles that pocket into walls, Western Window Systems was the right choice.

“We've been working together for a number of years, probably 10 years plus. And we just have a comfort level that they have the competency to figure out some of the technical specifics in a complicated home like this,” he said. “They've got a great network and a team of people that can help us install it.”