The site for this residence had a
cornucopia of physical restrictions
including an active landslide, an
Environmentally Sensitive Habitat,
unbuildable slopes and an array of
easements.
“By the time we plotted all of the
constraints, there really was only one
place that the house could be sited.
Ideally the owner wanted to retire to a
cane plantation house in Hawaii, but
didn’t see himself retiring anytime
soon, so we designed this house
keeping that in mind.”
The client’s main goal was to have the
house feel like a Five Star resort hotel.
The residence itself is a series of
stand alone cantilevered structures
that are placed in ascending order on
the slope to take full advantage of the
spectacular views. The Great Room is
at the lowest level, with the Master
Suite placed at the highest perch. A
swimming pool will be built at a later
date that will go under the cantilevered
deck of the Great Room. No two
rooms are at the same elevation. All
of the rooms are situated around a
central lanai with a meandering stair.
cornucopia of physical restrictions
including an active landslide, an
Environmentally Sensitive Habitat,
unbuildable slopes and an array of
easements.
“By the time we plotted all of the
constraints, there really was only one
place that the house could be sited.
Ideally the owner wanted to retire to a
cane plantation house in Hawaii, but
didn’t see himself retiring anytime
soon, so we designed this house
keeping that in mind.”
The client’s main goal was to have the
house feel like a Five Star resort hotel.
The residence itself is a series of
stand alone cantilevered structures
that are placed in ascending order on
the slope to take full advantage of the
spectacular views. The Great Room is
at the lowest level, with the Master
Suite placed at the highest perch. A
swimming pool will be built at a later
date that will go under the cantilevered
deck of the Great Room. No two
rooms are at the same elevation. All
of the rooms are situated around a
central lanai with a meandering stair.
“The owner/builder told me that he didn’t like how I laid out the stairs in the lanai. I told him that he was
welcome to make adjustments to them as he saw fit, but that I really had spent a fair amount of time
figuring out how to make them work in the somewhat tight space. The next time I went out to the site I
noticed that he built the stairs almost exactly how I drew them. The owner told me that after spending
much time on the matter himself, he decided that I came up with the only way that the stairs could
possibly be configured, and in fact he was surprised I even got that layout to work.”
welcome to make adjustments to them as he saw fit, but that I really had spent a fair amount of time
figuring out how to make them work in the somewhat tight space. The next time I went out to the site I
noticed that he built the stairs almost exactly how I drew them. The owner told me that after spending
much time on the matter himself, he decided that I came up with the only way that the stairs could
possibly be configured, and in fact he was surprised I even got that layout to work.”
All of the floors of the house are structural slabs. It was the only way to keep the floors a thin profile and
still achieve a double cantilever condition for all of the decks at the corners. The floor slabs also seemed
natural for installing a radiant heating system as well.
At one point during construction, the
client had to put the house up on the
market. One serious buyer actually hired
a world famous “starchitect” to do some
studies of how the house could be
reconfigured more to suit his family’s
tastes.
“I saw his sketches; they were
interesting. He had some good ideas.
But it was clear he didn’t understand the
structure as I designed it, and I don’t
think the City would’ve approved it.”
The potential buyer asked his architect
what the projected cost would be to
revise the structure, and that was the end
of it. He didn’t even make an offer.
client had to put the house up on the
market. One serious buyer actually hired
a world famous “starchitect” to do some
studies of how the house could be
reconfigured more to suit his family’s
tastes.
“I saw his sketches; they were
interesting. He had some good ideas.
But it was clear he didn’t understand the
structure as I designed it, and I don’t
think the City would’ve approved it.”
The potential buyer asked his architect
what the projected cost would be to
revise the structure, and that was the end
of it. He didn’t even make an offer.
“I was very happy that my client was able to secure the funding to complete construction and he took it off
the market. This house really was designed with his personal needs and lifestyle in mind. It’s probably
not for everyone. It kind of turned out like a tropical version of Case Study House #21, which I’m pretty
sure is exactly what he wanted, even if he never gave me that specific directive.”
the market. This house really was designed with his personal needs and lifestyle in mind. It’s probably
not for everyone. It kind of turned out like a tropical version of Case Study House #21, which I’m pretty
sure is exactly what he wanted, even if he never gave me that specific directive.”
