The site for the Descending Courtyard House is a hillside lot (approximately 50 feet x 155 feet) in a residential neighborhood along the Pacific Ocean's Palisades bluff with expensive, panoramic views of the ocean. It is adjacent to a small park and overlooks a rustic canyon of native chaparral below. The house and indigenous landscape have an intentionally symbolic relationship. Rather than an object that sits on an artificial landscape, the native chaparral is encouraged to reclaim the site, growing right up to the house. This respect for the environment results in a savings of water consumption and a more authentic, native California setting.
At the heart of the home is an exceptional space, rarely feasible in a hillside home-an on -grade, private and protected courtyard, separating the house into two separate wings with distinctive profiles. A steel and glass box form elevated indoor activities above the canyon and capture the expensive views beyond. The courtyard complements the house as a protective respite looking out on the hillside. With stunning views of the Pacific Ocean and the park, it reinforces and accommodates a social space often sacrificed on hillside property. By functioning as an outdoor living room, the courtyard literally allows the house breathe.
Not only the project was designed to be responsive to its site surrounding, it applied all the principles of sustainable living. Taking a cue from hacienda patio spaces, ventilation passes through the courtyard cooling the interiors and eliminating the need for ducted air-conditioning. Concrete slab floors with radiant heating help to maintain a constant internal temperature while freeing the roof of obstructive mechanical equipment. Board-formed concrete walls create a thermal mass in a manner similar to vernacular California homes of the past. On the exterior, wood-clad panels function as rain screen to protect building from UV exposure and reduce the demand for cooling energy. The zinc roof which will not need to replace during the life span of the house reinforces very low maintenance goals.
