The house is designed to fit the scale and character of the neighborhood, as well as the owner's program and wish for extended facade transparency. The whole composition reflects the lot characteristics and specific local requirements. The complex geology calls for a tall impact wall at street level, becoming focal point and privacy barrier for the upper view terrace, along with a shield for building equipment. The unique design of the garage door allows for direct impact resistance and acts as an integral part of the impact wall, thus relieving the adjacent floor of slump-bearing reinforcement. Further functionality enhances the design language, such as the cantilever exterior terrace access stair, interior shear bracing and floating wood stairs. A single retaining wall at the lower level of the home provides space for an outdoor pool and creates the necessary cut | fill balance within the allowed quantities. Side on-grade stairs provide FD and pool maintenance access Double cooling cantilever trellises provide ample shade over the living and bedroom floors. Passive sustainable features are built in throughout the home with the customary PAAdesign vocabulary - controlled cross ventilation and top hot air escape, local cooling and vented staircase, which also acts as a light well for the submerged basement, resting atop of a Zen cacti garden.
The material selection is within the earthy sustainable palette of PAAstudio; the home promotes use of natural, easy, yet elegant materials and finishes: two-tone smooth steel trowel plaster, sustainably harvested hardwood siding and light ceramic tile flooring. Concrete is handled with earth tone color additive and vertical board pattern, creating a moving shadow effect. The building address is recessed as a 3D imprint both sides of the North front planter wall as well. Light clear anodized aluminum doors and windows accent the exterior and tie aesthetically with overall color theme. In combination with the rest, this color palette provides a lively, yet tranquil environment, with high sustainability and low impact. The landscaping takes into consideration the local and CCC requirements and is 100% drought tolerant, non-invasive, slope failure resistive and fire retardant. The landscaping complements the home in harmony with the building materials and color scheme, as well as reestablishes native California vegetation with high aesthetics and low level maintenance. Overall, the home showcases an open modern approach to coastal living, climate coordinated accommodations and a warm environment with direct sustainable features, full indoor-outdoor integration, while fitting perfectly into the delicate environment of a small lot on the coastal bluffs.