Prior to the build beginning, large rainwater and sewage treatment tanks were buried under the site. The cooler environment promoting less bacterial growth and leaving the relatively pure rainwater, collected from all roof sections, requiring no treatment to drink.

A Full functional kitchen the heart of the residence is flanked by a covered porch to the right with open fire and shaded midsummer dining area to the rear. Sunken, in front of the kitchen and nearest to the beach, is a cosy built in couch and tv nook.

Traversing the Gabion wall to the rear of the house is the bedroom tower and bathroom. Two bedrooms with surf views or walk out patio respectively

Our primary concerns in the design of this building have been to:

• create an environment that facilitates and enhances the experience of living outdoors


• challenge convenience as the driving force behind decisions, concentrating rather on the rituals associated with space


• establish a range of spatial, light and textural experiences be responsive to the small scale of the existing built
  environment.
  

In order to articulate the building in a scale of forms appropriate to the environment the functions of the house that require complete weather enclosure are broken into three individual masses:

• a horizontal structure housing the living functions


• a tower housing the sleeping and bathing functions


• and a boatshed.

prevailing south-west wind a spine wall of gabion baskets is set at right angles to the site. The wall sets up a strong enclosing edge for the main covered living deck and provides an intimate textured backdrop to the bathroom space. The masses of the building are arranged around the gabion wall to form edges, create a range of negative spaces and provide wind shelter to two covered outdoor living spaces.

Lance Herbst

Project location
Great Barrier Island, New Zealand
Architect
Herbst Architects
Plans

Photos Patrick Reynolds

Overview
The project is located on a small, 37 foot wide lot on a pedestrian only street in Venice, CA. Rather than create one solid object, David followed his residential design signature of two, two story units. The upper levels of the units seeming to float above minimal tilt up concrete walls and pillars of the lower levels. The two upper levels being attached by an open-air bridge. The larger of the structures is used as a residence while the other is used as an art studio and guest room over a garage.

The glazed panels, central to the floating effect are also large, sliding doors that conceal themselves so that the ground floor appears to be open to the exterior courtyards, thus blurring the definition of interior and exterior spaces. A large 2-story chimney wall frames the rear of the courtyard while blocking the overlooking 2-story neighbours. The exterior fireplace at the second floor flanks an outdoor sleeping porch and seating area off of the perforated breezeway bridge. Ipe, and black steel are used throughout the house to complement the Syndecrete® prefabricated concrete panels.

Walls on the first floor are intentionally held from touching the ceiling of the second floor to allow for a clear line of site over neighbouring residences and giving the illusion that the second story is floating above the first floor. These clerestory windows also bathe the lower level in light. The mass of the second floor elevations is divided into sections of positive and negative spaces that reinforce the destabilisation of the wall plane. Some of the vertical slices are specific to selective views of nearby palm trees.

A central floating stair divides the spaces and leads to a usable roof deck framed by high solid parapet walls providing privacy and strategically edited views of the distant landscape.

A continuous skylight, that opens to serve as a shaft to facilitate stack effect ventilation, frames the stairs that float from the ceiling of the second story. The exterior walls of the second story are covered in a smooth, steel trowel, integrally pigmented, stucco. These are connected seamlessly to the interior ceiling of the first floor, their continuation internally to form one single mass, further emphasises the weight of the "floating" block above.

via: Many thanks to Christina at Studio EA

• Passive Ventilation – eliminating the need for a forced air system the shaded front living area naturally ducts cool air up thought the house and stairwell, then out the temperature sensitive skylights.
  
• Solar Energy – an array of 20 solar panels on the roof supply around 70% of the home's energy needs
  
• Photovoltaic Panels and Flat Plate Collectors – providing hot water to the water heater and subsequently the radiant heating system in the concrete floors. David says to heat the place, with these panels installed takes about as much energy as a 60w light bulb, all taken from his solar array.
  
• Vacuum tubing on the roof, which uses a parabolic collector to focus the sun’s rays, provides additional hot water
  
• Recycled FSC certified sustainable woods such as Ipe, Mahogany and Fir
  
• That Syndecrete®, a light-weight concrete that uses 41% recycled content - it also holds various pigments and textures to form furniture throughout the house, like the kitchen bench, table and bathroom sinks.
  
• Zero VOC paints
  
• High performance heat-mirror glazing
  
• The pool system uses an ionization and silver filter, eliminating the need for chlorine

via: Many thanks to Christina at Studio EA