When Frank Lloyd Wright first encountered the Sonoran Desert of Arizona, he was instantly enthralled. He said, “The desert has a cathartic effect.” What could be more architectural than the lessons of the desert? Wright was immediately aware of the desert as the connecting link between land and sea and he commented on the similarity of the life forms of the coral reef and desert bajada.

Wright saw the Sonoran Desert as an opportunity to introduce students to natural processes as the basis of design. The desert is devoid of design theories. The plants and creatures of the desert have only one agenda—survival—and their solutions are essential, simple, and beautiful. Wright saw the desert as the ideal environment in which to observe nature’s working. When the Fellowship arrived at the foothills of the McDowell Mountains, they found a landscape empty of current human habitation and the amenities of urban life. First pitching tents on the mesa, the Fellowship, under Mr. Wright’s direction, began construction of work and living spaces, which he referred to as “camp.”

Today, students are provided with the continuous opportunity to experience, with all of the senses, the desert as a distinct bioregion and to learn from its unique climatic conditions and the adaptations made by its plant and animal inhabitants in order to survive. Residential life at TSOA continues the experience of the pioneering Fellowship and ensures that students develop a profound understanding of the desert environment and the impact of natural phenomena on the design of buildings.

Each year, students are afforded the opportunity to remodel, rebuild, or construct new shelters within a specific procedure.