Magazine: GA HOUSES 175
Year: 2021
Co-authors: Balazs Bognar, Richard Nelson
The focus of this private residence is on a dramatically sloped landscape, with terrain that connects tall Californian oak trees and a small brook at the low side of the site. The space is intimate, majestic, and verdant, a special place for the artist-client. In broad terms, the house is a means of passage from the township and descent into the landscape.
Volumetric arrangement consists of several connected pavilions with varied relationships to nature: a kitchen pavilion that floats over the land, and living-dining spaces and a series of bedrooms that step down into the “bowl” of the landscape below. A garage and bridge flank a pool, slowly revealed past the entry garden, and upon stepping into the foyer of the house.
The house's configuration intentionally avoids the towering old-growth trees on site, out of respect, and upon the strong request of the client. In plan, the pinwheeling formation seems to dance with the positions of those trees. The result also creates gardens and pockets of space—moments of surprise, and framed views beyond. The balance yields both openness to the trees as well as unexpected privacy, with the interplay of panoramic glass and carefully placed textured plaster walls.
While the house is scaled in proportion to the available space on site, the design constantly refers to lightness by way of architectural motifs: unimposing volumes eluding monolithic expression, thin roof edges and broad eaves, areas of wall to catch shadows throughout the day, and floor levels that always hover above the level of the land. Large sliding glass panels and expansive wooden decks extend the territory of the interiors outward, further reinforcing the openness and direct connections to the outside. Each room faces a particular scene; each Major room has a glazed corner, open to special views. It is a simple design that defers to its complex natural context. The relationships between are the design's essence.
For the client, an evocative sense of discovery goes hand-in-hand with daily life. The spatial flow hints at Japanese techniques: shakkei (borrowed/framed scenery), komorebi (dappled light), oremagari (turning/revealing/indirect approach)... all the elements for rich interplay with the landscape are already embedded site, and the house is a way to uncover these aspects. This sort of everyday magic is the generative force behind the house.