Located in the hills of Pacific Palisades, the design for this house was derived by stacking and slicing volumes, thus creating distinctions between programmatic elements and glazed openings. The design, however, was required to maintain the same footprint and height envelope of the previous building. In order to meet this constraint, the 4-bedroom house was buried partially below grade with the first and second floors appearing as separate stacked volumes. The design incorporates stone cladding on the lower floor, creating the appearance of a sturdy plinth, which supports a more delicately sculpted upper floor. Faceted white walls with slit openings help define the outer edges of the building, creating a distinctive facade.
The striated exterior “visually reduces” the perceived height in favor of a sleeker profile that actually maintains the interior’s generous, but true, height. The entire upper floor acts like a “sleeve” holding the domestic functions that figuratively “slide” towards the most optimal views and retract for optimal privacy. The palette of exotic and sculpted wood uniquely expressed on the outside, finds its way inside forming the skin to common area walls and ceilings – all in one inter-connected whole.
