Altamira Residence by Marmol Radziner

Architects: Marmol Radziner
Location: Palos Verdes, California, USA
Year: 2007
Area: 15,500 sqft
Photos:Benny Chan, Joe Fletcher, Steve Guntner
Description:

Altamira Ranch speaks to the sign of the fantasies and dreams for eras of one California crew. Involving 20-sections of land along the rough coastline of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, the undeveloped site held recollections of adolescence outdoors trips, family picnics, and sentimental dusks in the middle of spouse and wife.

Not having any desire to aggravate the land more than would normally be appropriate, the four separate buildings–main house, study, visitor house, and garage–were cut into the landscape diminishing the need to review the site. Accordingly, the underground carport and somewhat covered primary house appear to rise up out of the ground as the area inclines toward the sea. Not just did submerging the structures decrease the measure of site work required, it likewise safeguarded the sea view for the encompassing neighborhood.

In light of this feeling of spot, the customers needed to keep up the “untouched” feel of the area however much as could reasonably be expected in the configuration of their 15,500 square foot family complex and to join it to the encompassing scene both physically and outwardly.

Utilizing site elements and merging lines, a datum line was made that built up the area of the building and site dividers. Taking after these lines, precisely found plant massings outline the perspectives of Inspiration Point and Catalina Island and start to make unmistakable destinations inside of the scene. Utilizing this datum line as a state of starting, bending pathways of deteriorated stone rock were laid out to interface the house with vegetable patio nursery, olive plantation, outdoors stage, shoreline volleyball range, and different watch out focuses. Before being development, the customer and scene planner strolled the pathways, making modification along the route, to guarantee that all had great perspectives and navigated the territory serenely.

Associations with the site amplify past the physical areas of the structures and outside territories to the choice of building and scene materials that rehash the hues and surfaces indigenous to the territory. Neighborhood shale was utilized to clad the solid dividers, the scene rocks were reaped from a close-by quarry, and the more than 30,000 plants were contract-developed from local California seed.

The planting configuration specifically associate the constructed environment to the regular as well as to the sea. The floating masses of local bushes bring out the waves beneath; paralleling their course, making a comparable visual beat, and reflecting comparative shades of greens and soul. Generally as waves get to be shallower and experience sand astonishingly into shore, the plants get to be shorter and are hindered by huge territories of sand as they approach the house. At the visitor house, the most inland of the structures, succulents that look like urchins, star fish, and corals are utilized to bring out the sentiment entering a tidal pool or estuary.

The consequence of the solid communitarian relationship between customer, engineer and scene originator, is a striking outline that distinctions the feeling of spot and one of a kind attributes of the encompassing environment.