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The lower level plan
Dortoir Familial, Mediterranean
On the Boards | Merit Award
1 MIN READ
Despite its matter-of-fact name—French for “family dormitory”—this project represents an adventurous response to an extraordinary site. “It has a very beautiful landscape context and a view of the Mediterranean that is equally astonishing,” says architect Nader Tehrani, “but there are, arguably, even more beautiful views uphill through the umbrella pines.”
Tehrani based his design on the classic courtyard-house model, which he manipulated by “slipping” the building’s shell both horizontally and vertically. The resulting form burrows into the slope, lifting its green roof here and there for uphill views, then emerging in dramatic bridges and cantilevers. The upper L-shaped wing contains living spaces and the master suite; the lower L, whose roof forms the green border of the courtyard pool, will accommodate gatherings of a three-continent extended family.
“The house can sleep as many as 21 people,” Tehrani says. Utility notwithstanding, however, the jury was more taken with the project’s experimental spirit. “The spatial displacement is intriguing,” one judge said. “It takes the idea of a courtyard and extrudes it into three dimensions.”—B.D.S.
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