Locus-Motive House
This new 7,000 sq. ft. residence and 700 sq. ft. guest house sits on a 32 acre parcel in the Santa Monica Mountains. The structure straddles and engages a huge existing rock outcrop that forms an interior entry court. Views radiate out to various off-site landmarks including; Boney Mountain the fissured spine of the Santa Monica Mountains to the north and east, Mulholland Highway as it winds to it’s terminus at Pacific Coast Highway to the south and west and finally a white water view of Leo Carrillo State Beach to the southwest. These dramatic vistas along with a pronounced horizontallity due to the single story layout and the articulation of facades into programmatic components to mimic the fragmented nature of the rocky site all serve to define the form of the building.
Materials were selected to minimize combustion in this high-fire hazard location and blend in with the terrain. They include: poured in-place concrete walls, steel framing members, glass, integral color exterior plaster, metal roof and sandstone masonry.
The Owner’s vintage car collection is displayed in a gallery that is integrated into and viewed from the main living spaces. Terraces, balconies, projecting roof overhangs and cantilevered floors together with glass walls and openings blur the distinction between inside and outside to allow a visual and physical extension from one to the other.
Main Residence completed 1998 / Site work and Guest House completed 2001.
