Designed for a couple with a newborn, this house is on a walk street in Manhattan Beach, a beach town south of Los Angeles. The house has a stunning view of the ocean.

 

There are two façades that ask for extensive glazing and two that ask for privacy. The downhill side of the house faces the ocean, the west side of the house faces the walk street. The uphill side faces the street and the south is directly on the property line of the neighbor. This evolved into two “open” and two “closed” treatments unified by the way the glass / solid panels create a rhythm as they wrap the house.

 

The three-story glazing on the walk street creates a dramatic entrance for arriving guests emphasized by the three-story interior green, or living, wall planted with live plants that rises up the far side of the stairs. At the base of the wall, an interior pond increases the drama. Stepping stones across the pond allow access to the media/game room on the lower level.

 

2540 sf

 

Green materials and strategies will include a growing wall and interior pond for passive cooling, natural daylighting, bamboo flooring, kitchen cabinetry from FSC-certified wood, recycled glass countertops, recycled glass tile, low-flush toilets, low VOC paint, and more.

 

Images and details will be added as this project develops.