MISSION CANYON RESIDENCE
Santa Barbara, CA
2,619 SF
The client for this project asked TGA to design a hillside residence that would recall elements of his childhood home — a converted barn in the English countryside — in a contemporary language that engaged Santa Barbara’s rich tradition of modernist architecture. The program is organized between two discrete volumes connected by a glass entryway. One arrays social areas like the kitchen, living, and dining rooms while the other contains the bedrooms, allowing the client to entertain guests while still maintaining a sense of privacy.
Reference: Yorkshire Dales
Image via Alamy
REFERENCING THE PAST IN A CONTEMPORARY DESIGN LANGUAGE
Two pitched roofs clad in black corrugated steel recall the distinctive gables of the converted barn where the client once lived while lending the house its presence as a contemporary insertion in the hillscape.
MINIMIZING DISRUPTIONS TO THE LANDSCAPE
After analyzing the maximum building height for the hillside zone and the grade of the site, TGA determined how to fit the house into the buildable envelope while minimizing earthwork and disturbances to the landscape. The siting strategy also sets the house outside of the existing oak tree canopies, preserving this keystone species in the local ecosystem.
NATURAL LIGHT AND VIEWS
Floor-to-ceiling glazing floods the house with natural light and opens up sweeping views of the surroundings, heightening the connection between the interiors and the landscape.
Project Type Residential
Location Santa Barbara, California, USA
Project Size 2,619 SF
Completion Date Unbuilt
Services Architecture, Interior Design, Programming, Site Design
Architect Tim Gorter Architects
Geotechnical Engineer Pacific Materials Laboratory of Santa Barbara, Inc.
Civil Engineer Ashley & Vance Engineering, Inc.
Structural Engineer Taylor & Syfan Consulting Engineers, Inc.
Electrical Engineer JMPE Electrical Engineering
Energy Consultant MEC, Inc.
Lighting Designer Ann Kale and Associates
Landscape Architect Earthknower Studio
Septic Designer Ashley & Vance Engineering, Inc.
Land Use Consultant Souter Land Use Consulting