joeb moore + partners slices gable-roofed house

joeb moore & partners slices gable-roofed house
images © david sundberg / esto photographics inc.
all images courtesy of  joeb moore & partners

designed by american studio joeb moore & partners, the house sits on a series of concrete retaining walls and escarpments that traverse down a steeply sloped site. in response to this existing topography, the strategy employed straight walls that act as jetties and project onto the landscape. these structures interact with the ground, modulating and redistributing the terrain into terraces and gardens that spill and slide past one another.

the house itself hovers above these outdoor features, anchored to the concrete walls. the simple geometric form is constructed of smooth extruded volumes or trapezoidal boxes of differing lengths – the first presents a gable-front façade to the street and helps conceal the scale of the overall mass beyond – and the second rotates 90 degrees and runs in parallel. operating as a backdrop, the perpendicular orientation between the two produces a sense of contrast.

entry courtyard

the two cedar volumes are sliced by a set of three sectional cuts, juxtaposing the horizontal program and movements. these negative spaces allow the natural environment to blend through the house. the main void is a water canal and waterfall that flows between two concrete site walls and then drops to the basement, reflecting light, water, and sound into the center.

the gable-front façade is pulled away form the building, appearing as a playful lantern that emits an ambient light from its core at night. within this interstitial spot a covered exterior stairwell offers access from the entry courtyard to the pool garden and lower-level play areas. the last sectional void is a vertical slot that serves as the back route between the walls and horizontal wood lattice that passes over the full floor to ceiling windows at each end. the three different conditions cut through the form to produce an ever-changing atmosphere. 

(left) entry water feature
(right) screened porch

a horizontal cedar lattice is intentionally pulled tight over the surfaces, in contrast with the concrete and white stucco wall planes below. serving as a second skin, the material membrane passes over windows and joints. the resultant optical effect is one of precision and ambiguity from both the interior and exterior. seeking to create an experience that is open and flexible for the inhabitants, the house becomes a journey of discovery and a homecoming.

entry courtyard

informal entry/main stair

exterior view of kitchen/dining

living room

main stair

kitchen

site strategy

first floor plan

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