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driftwood house
LOCATION:
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Venice, CA
1,600 ft²
Single Family House
2020
Residential
Occupying a strictly constrained coastal lot, this compact single-family residence employs a sculptural, driftwood-inspired massing. The project is defined by rigorous sustainability strategies, including photovoltaic integration, drought-tolerant landscaping, and extensive reclaimed materiality. Emphasizing material lifecycle, the exterior cladding utilizes salvaged highway snow fencing, while the 2x6 concrete formwork from the basement was adaptively reused to construct the primary structural framing of the upper levels.
Resting upon a concrete plinth, the residence is articulated as a sculptural volume of timber and glass. Situated within a coastal garden, the compact massing responds directly to its marine context. To maximize the integration of indoor and outdoor environments, a large-scale motorized glass wall retracts entirely, opening the primary living space to the sky above.
The interior has no partitions and in section flows seamlessly together from a sunken basement courtyard up to the primary bedroom at the top. Designed as a starter home for young professionals moving to the Venice area, spaces are small, efficient, and always connected to the neighborhood and natural environment around them.
Principal:
Design Team:
Matthew Royce
Meike Kroger
Photography:
Sam Frost
Edmund Sumner
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