The studio
A small team that builds quietly.
Aster Ridge is an architect-led studio of nine people. We design and build custom residences across the Sonoran and high desert, four projects at a time.
How the studio started
One question, asked early.
The studio began in 2003 around a single question: what if the same small team carried a house from first land walk through the second year of living in it? No relays, no late hand-offs, no losing the original intent under a stack of change orders.
Twenty-two years later, the answer is still the same: we keep the team small, the calendar honest, and the work close to the land.
What guides the work.
Quiet over loud
We design for ordinary mornings, not magazine spreads. The house should still feel right in twenty years.
Land, then plan
Every project begins with the parcel — its light, its slope, its neighbors. The plan follows what the land already wants.
One team, start to last
The architect, builder, and site lead who start the project finish it. No relays, no surprise hand-offs.
Slow, then certain
Decisions are made early, in person, and recorded. The build moves quickly because the thinking is finished.
The people you'll work with.
Dana Ruiz
Twenty-two years in Sonoran residential work. Trained at Cranbrook.
Mateo Quan
Master builder. Came up through stone and steel; runs the build calendar.
Liv Andersen
Manages clients, drawings, and the long memory of the studio.
Park Idris
On site daily. The person you'll see most during the build.
-
Dwell
-
Architectural Record
-
Western Art & Architecture
A first conversation
Want to walk the land together?
We take on three to four projects a year. Reach out early.