Rick Joy, born in 1958 in Maine, is one of the most influential figures in contemporary American architecture. He initially studied music at the University of Maine before turning to architecture, graduating from the University of Arizona School of Architecture in 1990. Joy’s work is widely recognized for its sensitive response to site, light, and materiality. Through the use of natural materials such as concrete, stone, and wood, he creates spaces that feel both restrained and quietly powerful. His architectural career began at Will Bruder Architects, an experience that laid an essential foundation for his later independent practice.
In 1993, Rick Joy founded his eponymous Studio, Studio Rick Joy, whose work ranges from high-concept contemporary design to traditional architecture and master planning services. The studio has extensive experience in lifestyle-based projects covering a wide range of genres and locations. Their early residential projects in the desert were designed with rammed earth, steel and concrete.
Rick Joy describes the house as "an assertion of a way of living in the landscape". He believes that architecture is educational, and in the process, the more you create, the more you learn about nature. In fact, the relationship between architecture and the environment is romantic, and it just so happens that architecture is the most telling. People don't need a watch to see the trajectory of the sun in different places throughout the day and know what time of day it is. Rick Joy calls his design process a way to learn about nature and architecture, and rammed earth walls set his buildings apart.
