The project was approved through the City of Phoenix Historic Preservation department with no modifications to the plan even though the home is a more modern expression. The City cited the use of quality materials in the project as one reason for their approval. The expression of a half-high block lent itself to the historic context of the neighborhood and other brick homes in the area. Neighbors were polled for their choice between stucco and brick for this project and the overwhelming consensus was that a brick look was preferred. Omni Block’s half-high block “Omni Brick” satisfied the needs for a brick-like project expression.
The Omni Block system is part of an overall energy approach to the home to minimize life cycle operating costs. The home will be a laboratory experiment for the Architect as homeowner and will couple with other technologies to minimize energy usage of a masonry home in a Desert environment.
For durability, sound control, energy performance and aesthetic expression Omni Block and Omni Brick met the Architect’s needs for building his own family’s home.
