Light is extremely important to this project, not least because one of the occupants is a professional photographer. The design celebrates the light of Southern California in both literal and metaphoric ways. A centerpiece of the house, the great room is a double-story room with a central skylight designed to frame the sky and the shifting light much the way light artist James Turrell captures light in his work.
Glazing frames the views throughout the house, whether a clerestory window that directs focus towards the sky, or a horizontal floor-level window that directs focus to the earth. Double-height windows in the great room open to the view over the canyon and the rooms on this side of the house will fill with the play of light on water from the long pool/hot tub/reflecting pond that runs the length of the house.
The second-story photography studio projects from the building, its sides solid, and one end completely glass in a metaphoric “lens” focused towards light and views.
An interior garden, open to the sky, separates the great room from the gallery/media room and brings sunlight directly into the heart of the house.
The house is designed, also, for the light-hearted with room for yoga parties, a gallery for the photographer and her artist friends to display their work, a double-height climbing room that provides an unusual way for the son to access his second-floor bedroom, a media room for screening films and a pool for friends and family to frolic.
As the owners are ardent supporters of all things eco-friendly, having already done extensive research for previous houses they have built, this project will be one of the greenest homes to come through our practice.
Green materials and strategies will include passive heating and cooling, natural daylighting, bamboo flooring, translucent acrylic glazing, kitchen cabinetry from FSC-certified wood, recycled glass countertops, low-flush toilets, low VOC paint, low water landscaping, drip irrigation, energy efficient appliances, tankless water heaters, blue jean insulation, and more.
Total square footage: 4706 sf
This is one of our Hybrid Construction projects. Read more about Hybrid Construction here.