JAVA Feb 2020

environmentally conscious approach to architecture
goes back to those formative years with his dad. “He
designed our home in the early eighties after the
energy crisis, and was very into sustainable design –
way before it was called green building.”
A focus on sustainable design and sense of place is
very important to Claire as well. “There is a children’s
book, The Big Orange Splot [by Daniel Pinkwater],
that mirrors the sentiment we’d like to see our work
have in its environment. To quote the book, ‘My
house is me and I am it. My house is where I like
to be and looks like all my dreams.’” Claire also
expresses her thoughts on architecture as an art
form. “We are constantly connected to and influenced
by art in our work, and feel that architecture and
creative culture are inextricably linked. It is our hope
that our work continues to push for self-expression
and self-exploration while embracing the beauty of
our differences.”
The Costellos have seen a lot of change in the
industry in the decade since they started the
Ranch Mine – much of which has been driven by
overall changes in Phoenix itself. “The largest shift
we’ve seen,” says Cavin, “is that people want to
be here. People are staying here because it’s a
great place to be.” He believes this change has
in large part been born out of that time of economic
hardship. “The recession reset the dial in Phoenix,
and people thought more about what they wanted
[for the city],” he says.
Claire echoes her husband’s thoughts on the matter,
noting the impact of that focus on their work. “People
are really being intentional with the spaces that are
important to them at home. Whether it is for crafts,
entertaining, or enjoyment of the outdoors, we get
to create really interesting spaces that cater to the
wide variety of homeowners and the specifics of their
everyday lives.”
The Ranch Mine’s success has allowed the Costellos
the enviable position of being able to work on what
matters most to them. “You don’t have to take on
projects just to keep the doors open,” says Cavin.
“You’re doing the work you want to do. That is our
goal from day one of any project – to do work that
in twenty, thirty years will still make us proud.”
Cavin notes that this is important in a world where
the journey from design to completion takes a fair
amount of time. He notes, “It’s a difficult industry,
because what you’re excited about now, you might
not see built for a number of years.”
It’s clear, though, from his overall outlook, that his
perspective is not one of lament. “It’s funny, when
you study architecture, most architects don’t
become who they are until they’re fifty, sixty,
seventy years old – Frank Lloyd Wright was [almost]
seventy when he moved out here, and he was doing
some of his best work. So I’m looking at this as a
fifty-year proposition.”
JAVA 15
MAGAZINE