Optima Camel View Village

•••••••• David
•• Hovey & Associates Architect, Inc .

•••••••• Even before it was approved by the city of Scottsdale, Optima Camel View Village had high approval.

When the city's design review committee accepted public comment on architect David Hovey's multiuse community, another distinguished Arizona

architect, Will Bruder. p redicted that the 14.4-acre eco-triendly project would provide downtown Scottsdale with vibrant modernist-inspired architecture:

a benchmark aesthetic for multifamily development.

On the northwest corner of Scottsdale Road a nd Highland Avenue. the luxury project comprises 11 bridge-linked seven-story a nd six-story buildings; 700

one-. two- and three-bedroom homes, 780-3AOO square feet; a series of oasis courtyards. private terraces and rooftop gardens; approximately 33,000

FACING PAGE: Opltma Camel VIew VIllage was voted by ltle AlA as one of Artzona'sgreatest architectural ochlevements.
Project Des/(}1 Team: David Hovey &Assoc/afes Architect, Inc.
Photograph by: Bll Ttnmerman
square feet of retail and restaurant space; a 24,000-square-foot private fitness

center with racquetball and basketball courts; an indoor lap pool and spas; and

private underground parking.

David’s Phoenix, Ariz.-based Optima construction/development company

began the project in 2005. Through three decades of developing communities

and building luxury homes in Chicago and Arizona, he has managed

the development, design and construction process, ensuring complete

quality control. 

Despite encompassing more than 1.6 million gross square feet, the community

is quintessential Optima: human-scaled; light-suffused, transparent, free-flowing,

ecologically responsible, emphasizing views, outdoor living and interconnection

with the urban environment.  The spirit is horizontal, with asymmetries such as

the connecting bridges. Terracing creates horizontal roof and floor lines that

connect the buildings with the mountains beyond.

Buildings shelter the residents and shade each other against the summer desert

sun. The language of Camel View is a rich vocabulary of shades and shadows,

David notes. Setbacks, trellises, terraces and balconies provide sun shelter, and

numerous openings between the buildings increase ventilation and views as

well as reduce overall massing.

Each home contains a vine-draped terrace that extends each unit’s livable

area—embracing the desert beyond and the city just outside. These spaces

are as much as 75 percent xeriscaped with trees, flowers and herbs. A typical

family terrace may display Mediterranean fan palm; Sago palm; bougainvillea;

yellow trumpetbush; lantana; rosemary; jasmine; desert museum palo verde;

and mesquite. Widelia (yellow dots) trails over the walls, softening and adding

color to the structure.

character and lifestyle, equally creating a public environment as well as a

high-tier private living community. Other than into the underground parking, no

vehicles enter the community; pedestrian activity is encouraged.

Besides reducing vehicular activity, David’s design also combats suburban

sprawl by its proximity to major amenities such as the restaurants, stores and

entertainment venues of Old Town and the 2.2-million-square foot Scottsdale

Fashion Square, the largest mall in the Southwest.

The luminous condominiums feature spacious kitchens, living rooms, dining rooms

and great rooms flowing one to another. Floor-to-ceiling windows offer extensive

natural lighting and maximize views of the mountains; high-performance tinted

and insulated glass and exterior sunshades protect against the desert sun.

The façade is glass, with desert-tone sandstone panels that seem to float on

the structure.

Ecologically conscious, Camel View is a candidate for the United States Green

Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)

certification. For instance, in the construction phase, local materials were

used, reducing transportation costs, and environmentally conscious materials

were used throughout, such as recycled-steel for the structure. Moreover, the

buildings maximize water efficiency through computer-controlled systems for

landscaping, irrigation and fertilization as well as resource-efficient appliances.

RIGHT: A view of Optima Camel View Village’s compelling façade with private, shaded
garden terraces.
Photograph by: Christiaan Blok

FACING PAGE: Optima Camel View Village has a park-like inner courtyard.
Photograph by: Bill Timmerman
ABOVE: The elegant centerpiece of Optima Camel View Village is the grand courtyard.
Photograph by: Christiaan Blok
ABOVE: Condominium homes feature elegant interior spaces with seamless flow to exterior garden terraces.
Photograph by: Bill Timmerman
The community also ensures indoor environmental quality through low-emitting materials; systems pool, spa, fitness and business centers and a party room. Ancillary public courtyards sit between buildings,

controllability; daylighting; and views. In addition, rooftop photovoltaic panels provide some of the offering lush colorful havens steps away from the city’s main arterial.

electricity for common areas.

Finally, as Camel View architecture is art, artwork intensifies the architectural experience. Personally

Most significantly, the 23 acres of landscaping on all levels almost doubles the entire project’s footprint. endorsing Optima’s commitment to Scottsdale for a several-hundred-thousand-dollar public art

This lowers the community’s average ambient temperature approximately eight degrees, reducing component, David has created three sculptures; these are permanently displayed on site.

the urban heat-island effect, David says. The landscaping naturally transitions from arid materials on

the sun-exposed rooftops—trailing indigo bush dalea and cat-claw vine—to the lush, riparian-like oasis

of the recessed pool courtyard, with its rich plantings such as lantana, ruelia, jasmine, banks rose and
ABOVE: A view of Optima Camel View Village’s engaging front entry court.
Photograph by: Bill Timmerman
Texas ebony.
FACING PAGE LEFT: These contoured private green rook terraces are a delight to residents at Optima Camel
View Village.
Photograph by: Bill Timmerman
This street-level courtyard, with a series of water features and reflecting ponds, is central to the community,
FACING PAGE RIGHT: This extraordinary sculpture, Windsong, was created by David C. Hovey.
Photograph by: Christiaan Blok
offering escape for residents and the public as well as entry to its retail stores. Here, too, residents access a