DUST

DUST Founding Principals Cade Hayes and Jesús Robles have been named to the Wallpaper* US400 in the Architects category, the magazine’s annual guide to the people shaping Creative America in 2026.

Wallpaper* describes DUST as “grounded in the master-builder tradition,” bringing “a sensitivity to place and tactile material development to each project.” Since founding the practice in Tucson in 2007, that commitment has defined every project they’ve built. Honored to be recognized alongside this year’s cohort.

Portrait by Discover the Fauna.

wallpaperusa400

"With Sombra de Santa Fe, DUST designs a geological dwelling with pierced apertures that frame the landscape, horizon, and sky."

Sombra de Santa Fe featured in the SS26 edition of .

Words by . Photography by Joe Fletcher .

Sombra de Santa Fe, a New Mexico residence by DUST Architects, has been named a Best Use of Material winner at the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2026 and featured in the printed edition of Wallpaper*.

The project is recognized for its use of locally sourced volcanic soil, forming dark scoria walls that anchor the house to its landscape while delivering thermal performance and material restraint. Set within the Galisteo Basin Preserve, the home engages climate, terrain, and regulation through passive strategies and outdoor spaces tuned to light, wind, and season.

Photography by Joe Fletcher, Joe Fletcher. Text by Jonathan Bell.

The eastern terrace of Marfa Suite is a deep recess formed by compressed earth block. The shaded opening cools the air, softens the light, and prepares the shift from outside to inside. A small, calm threshold that grounds the house in its climate and landscape.

Photography by

At Tucson Mountain Retreat, a deep rammed earth opening reads like a narrow cut in a canyon wall. Its tall proportions and heavy shadow echo the stone passages of Devil’s Hall in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, West Texas.

Photography by Bill Timmerman.

The stepped rammed earth massing and deep openings at Tucson Mountain Retreat echo the stone ruins of the Salinas Pueblo Missions, where thick walls and simple volumes were shaped by climate, material, and long term durability.

Photography by Jeff Goldberg, ESTO

Marfa Suite draws from the simple, durable buildings found in early West Texas settlements. Adobe and stone structures relied on thick walls, small openings, and straightforward forms to manage heat, wind, and dust.

In the suite, those ideas become a compact volume with restrained geometry and materials that respond to the desert’s climate. The architecture stays low and quiet, shaped by the same practical considerations that defined its historic precedents.

Photography by

At Tucson Mountain Retreat, the terrace is tucked beneath a deep overhang and framed by rammed earth walls, creating a shaded, recessed space that opens to the desert. Its covered, sheltering quality recalls the rock overhangs at Mesa Verde, where protected terraces offer shade, refuge, and long views across the landscape.

Photography by Jeff Goldberg, ESTO

At Casa Caldera, the narrow openings are set deep within the scoria walls, creating shaded recesses that control heat and light. Their proportion and spacing echoes Pueblo Bonito at Chaco Canyon. The approach shapes how the desert is seen from inside, giving each room a framed view and maintaining thermal comfort in the high grasslands.

Photography by Jeff Goldberg, ESTO

The Wildlife Pavilion at acts as a threshold between people and habitat, directing attention to the arboreal theater beyond. The pavilion invites birdwatchers to observe the annual migration of the Violet-crowned hummingbird in one of the only locations they are seen in the United States.

Photography by Jeff Goldberg, ESTO