Concept

Organization

An initially massive form has been broken apart into smaller constituent parts then recomposed and recombined. Organized as a ‘piano nobile,’ this residence occupies two levels. The ground floor level contains guest sleeping, lounge, and gallery spaces, and the main level has reception, gathering, dining, and living areas. Outdoor decks and a stainless steel lap pool cantilever out and over the hillside below. From these prominent locations sweeping, striking views of the city below are some of the greatest the city can offer. This home curates both these aspects and the intimate proximity of the mountain into the rituals of daily life. The project stands for promenade and views, mass and void, sun and water. The back opens onto two concealed garden spaces hewn out of the rock. These are quiet, sheltered, secluded retreats, filled with fragrant desert plantings. Here it is possible to look out over the city or shelter from it, as the mood, the time of day, or the quality of light dictates.

Materiality

Informed again from the surroundings, baked clay tiles made from a customized, overlapping profile clad the primary masses of the residence. The tone of the clay echos the colors of the granite rock while dark flecks of aggregate emulate the shadows. A light sandblast treatment of the surface eliminates any reflective sheen from the façade. However, a counterpoint exists at areas of fenestration. Brushed stainless steel form the window surrounds, frames, doors, and operable panels for ventilation. This material harvests the surrounding color of the sky or the rocks, depending on the orientation, causing them seemingly to evaporate or dissolve into the building.

Internally these stainless window frames are portals through which to orient the body to the mountain, to the city, to the gardens, to places of gathering and life. Surfaces of the interior are restrained yet sensual. Light shimmers upon wax-coated plaster wall surfaces and white oil-finished oak wood floors, doors, and casework. Bathing room floors and walls are formed from dark basalt stone planks, with subtly inflected profiling to delight the touch. Lighting is subdued and emerges from reveals around the home.