The owners’ desires for their new home were straightforward – they wanted a modest, functional home, built into the landscape that would maximize views and be made from sustainable and firesafe materials.
The 2,200 SF low lying single-story home steps lightly down the site from north to south, following the natural grade of the land to minimize grading and honor the spirit of neighboring Ojai ranch houses. As the floor of the ground hugging house follows the natural topography, the roofline and top of concrete stem walls remain level and consistent in elevation. This continuous datum line, established by the concrete stem walls, expresses the changing floor levels as a clear visual and dimensional marker of the site’s slope.
Two wings at obtuse angles separate public from private zones, orient the house to wide angle views of the surrounding landscape and provide an open visual connection within the entire length of the house. The wings join together at the entry to frame a close up view of the Topatopa mountains.
Each wing has it’s own patio facing east, to a broad Ojai landscape and are linked by an additional patio that connects to the garden and pool below. A western courtyard between house and garage provides a contrasting shady, intimate gathering zone.
A limited palette of natural, modest materials reflects both the lifestyle of the young family of five while keeping in compliance with the construction budget. Firesafe concrete and cement board siding at the exterior compliment interior finishes of concrete, birch plywood, clay tiles and rattan. Humble concrete block masonry units form three walls that slide from exterior to interior, some solid and some fragmented to modulate light, visual access and privacy. The inexpensive, rough material is burnished and scored to refine and scale the blocks for domestic spaces.
In tandem with extra tall doors and windows at the east side that capture expansive views, daytime light and reflections, there are three large roof dormers that bring in high western evening light. Visible from the street level above the site, the large dormers animate the roofscape below and frame the Topatopas beyond. Smaller openings face the west with a close up view of a rock wall that slopes up to street level. The house stays camouflaged in the landscape with few openings on the street side and painted in colors of vegetation and national parks.
To protect from extreme daily temperature variations and excess solar gain there are large overhangs shading the eastern openings. The overhangs, along with natural daylighting strategies, radiant heat in the floor slab, solar power, heavily insulated walls, doors and windows, as well as minimal southern and western exposures, demonstrate a dedicated effort toward energy conservation. Enclosed eaves, a metal roof with no venting and sealed construction contribute to fire resilience along with the cement siding and concrete base.
The 2,200 SF low lying single-story home steps lightly down the site from north to south, following the natural grade of the land to minimize grading and honor the spirit of neighboring Ojai ranch houses. As the floor of the ground hugging house follows the natural topography, the roofline and top of concrete stem walls remain level and consistent in elevation. This continuous datum line, established by the concrete stem walls, expresses the changing floor levels as a clear visual and dimensional marker of the site’s slope.
Two wings at obtuse angles separate public from private zones, orient the house to wide angle views of the surrounding landscape and provide an open visual connection within the entire length of the house. The wings join together at the entry to frame a close up view of the Topatopa mountains.
Each wing has it’s own patio facing east, to a broad Ojai landscape and are linked by an additional patio that connects to the garden and pool below. A western courtyard between house and garage provides a contrasting shady, intimate gathering zone.
A limited palette of natural, modest materials reflects both the lifestyle of the young family of five while keeping in compliance with the construction budget. Firesafe concrete and cement board siding at the exterior compliment interior finishes of concrete, birch plywood, clay tiles and rattan. Humble concrete block masonry units form three walls that slide from exterior to interior, some solid and some fragmented to modulate light, visual access and privacy. The inexpensive, rough material is burnished and scored to refine and scale the blocks for domestic spaces.
In tandem with extra tall doors and windows at the east side that capture expansive views, daytime light and reflections, there are three large roof dormers that bring in high western evening light. Visible from the street level above the site, the large dormers animate the roofscape below and frame the Topatopas beyond. Smaller openings face the west with a close up view of a rock wall that slopes up to street level. The house stays camouflaged in the landscape with few openings on the street side and painted in colors of vegetation and national parks.
To protect from extreme daily temperature variations and excess solar gain there are large overhangs shading the eastern openings. The overhangs, along with natural daylighting strategies, radiant heat in the floor slab, solar power, heavily insulated walls, doors and windows, as well as minimal southern and western exposures, demonstrate a dedicated effort toward energy conservation. Enclosed eaves, a metal roof with no venting and sealed construction contribute to fire resilience along with the cement siding and concrete base.