Project Description
A common constrain of creating a site specific spec house is developing a great design within the budget and time constraints that define this project type. An additional challenge consisted of terracing the house is into a granite outcropping, which limits natural light and windows primarily to the front facade and roof. Within a compact footprint, the house is spacious. It contains, in addition to an open plan living area, five bedrooms. The sloping site required dividing the program between four levels. The interior layout is focused on livability and comfort. The main living spaces, on the second level, are scaled to establish a sense of intimacy when occupied by one or two people but can simultaneously accommodate larger groups. The living room, dining room, and kitchen are all open to each other but each has its own sense of place. The deliberate omission of separate formal spaces allows the bedrooms of the third level to communicate directly to the living spaces below. A broad open stairway serves as both a light well and a vertical street. Surrounded by more traditional capes and ranches, along with the occasional Victorian, the simplicity and disciplined nature of the project's exterior complements rather than conforms to its architectural context. The exterior configuration of windows balance light and transparency with a tactile sense of solidity and security. Set back from the street and screened by mature trees, the visual impact of the volume and height of the house are reduced in scale by the subdividing its mass down into smaller, terracing elements. The abstract nature of the stucco-clad exterior is offset by the richness and mystery of the loggia above.