Coastal Retreat
In coastal Sea Ranch California, the architect designs a modern getaway for a European couple who hope to one day make their weekend retreat their permanent residence.
The two-bedroom, two-bath house thoughtfully structures the 1,800 square feet of floor area into two distinct cedar clad wings. One wing houses the social living spaces, & the other wing houses the private bedroom spaces. Each wing is intentionally positioned to maximize views of the rugged California coastline beyond. The two wings are connected by a light-filled corrugated weathering steel entryway, where the floor levels are split to gently follow the site’s steep topography.
In keeping with the architect’s distinctive regional style, each volume is reminiscent of the vernacular, barn-like structures found in this iconic California locale, but with a decidedly modern twist consisting of seamless material transitions & minimalist detailing. The residence’s dramatic seaside location offers sweeping ocean views through large walls of glass in the southwest facade, while screening the street-facing façade by preserving existing trees & selectively punching openings to protect the residence from the noise & visual clutter of the abutting busy Highway 1.
The interior material palette consists primarily of simple elements like concrete flooring, plywood walls, and industrial Stonco lighting fixtures. From a sustainability standpoint, there are several design aspects that allow the home to passively heat and cool itself. The strategically positioned windows capture solar energy working in concert with the concrete floor slab’s thermal mass. The operable skylights circulate air by releasing thermally buoyant hot air & pulling cool, fresh air in through the lower openings.
The final result is an understated coastal modern architecture that plays harmoniously with the surrounding natural elements, satisfying the clients’ desire for a bit of respite in the unique Sea Ranch community.
Design Challenge
- We overcame the restrained floor plan by keeping room sizes smaller and popping out the massing with built in furniture only where necessary to accommodate the program. Examples are the master bedroom daybed, the living room day bed, the crow's nest study above the stair, and the breakfast nook, which was smaller but the built in was more expensive than increasing the floor area around purchased furniture. Each of this accessory spaces add a whole lot usable activity areas while keeping the house from growing.
Physical Context
Response to the slope of the site.- Sea Ranch doesn't allow very much grading. We placed the footprint of the building to take advantage of views and then had to work with the floor levels to accommodate the sloping site. The great room is split to follow grade. The decks are split which also accommodate grade and create two distinct outdoor program elements, hot tubbing and outdoor dining. The two story bedroom wing is positioned in elevation to decrease the amount of vertical circulation. the lower level is dug in below the main living level utilizing the hallway for some vertical circulation. This decreases the amount of stairs necessary to get to the upper level and allowed us to get the crow's nest study into the stair hall.
- The views were the primary driver. and preservation of existing elements like the rock outcrop and the existing beautiful trees.
- We used the existing trees to buffer the noise of the busy highway 1.
- We used all native planting and eased the vegetation into the site adding more lush vegetation around the entry but keeping it feeling natural.