An active family of 4 (a couple and two little girls) approached the Architect with one condition: Design a modern “green” 3 bedroom/2 bath house on a teeny tiny 30’x50’ lot that suited their beach lifestyle. The site is in a very dense urban area of Hermosa Beach coast, one block from the beach where houses are on small parcels very close to one another, and where privacy and personal outdoor space are very precious commodities. Trees, usually small, seem to be rare and the entire area seems to be paved over, resulting in near-blinding conditions when the bright summer sunlight and heat reflects from every surface. Unique to the area is the mild micro-climate which never gets too hot or too
After reviewing the site, the Architect developed a way of building which would be responsive to the particulars of the site and climate, as well as incorporating sustainable or “green” features into the design, and capturing the quintessential casual Southern California beach lifestyle in architectural form and color.

The resulting multi-story tower-like house is sheathed with pre-finished metal panels and stucco, both well-suited for long life in a marine climate, and punctuated by brightly colored glazed concrete block walls. The living room and the kitchen are placed on the top level with windows big enough to let in the sunshine yet protect one from the cool sea-breeze when desired, and have access to a large terrace under a dramatically cantilevered aluminum trellis. The entire top floor is bright and open with warm interior finishes reminiscent of Eichler Houses to contrast with sleek exterior materials reminiscent of Case Study Houses and modern California Coastal residential design. From the terrace and sitting area, volleyball courts on the beach can be seen. The roof terrace on top features more views of the same as well a large planting bed sized for large plants.

Colorful glazed concrete masonry block are used as large murals at the ground floor to reflect the playful beach atmosphere, and the colorful beach towels and surfboards seen everywhere.

The bespoke house sports a day-lit stairway which becomes not only the main path of motion vertically between the floors, but is also the very heart of this little tower house. The floating open stair rises up through the building, and passes beside the big translucent poly-carbonate window, and crowned by a large skylight. The ascent is exhilarating as one makes their way up to the main rooms on the top floor. The open stair visually connects all floors in one big grand gesture while also acting as the natural cooling chimney as the skylight is thermostatically operated to open to vent the entire house. By opening windows and using Dutch doors, the family can cool the house on warm days, using the sea breeze to push the warm air up and out through the skylight . Excess heat escapes via the skylight.

Any contemporary house succeeds, as this beach house does here, when it transcends the specs, the materials, and technical solution, achieving spatial invention and a true language of architecture.

Credit to: David Duncan Livingston, AEP Span