Skip to main content

Steven Ehrlich Architects - 700 Palms Residence

Steven Ehrlich Architects
700 Palms Residence


Here's a house from one of my no so frequented favourites Plot Cad Box.

They feature updated on residential design every now and then, all in Italian. Great for a stare and Babelfish helps a lot for the words that aren't familiar to me in Portuguese or Spanish.
The open planned nature of this house appeals to me as does the use of rusty steel (seems to be a theme this week). Separated into two blocks a guest/garage wing and the main house have a nicely protected courtyard in between. Down the side of the main residence is the lap pool that has those large orange and red retractable shades hanging above. Vaguely reminds me of Christo and Jean Claude’s The Gates.

The bottom level has huge picture doors that open right up to let the breeze flow through. Like yesterday's post there's that dark concrete flooring featuring again. I think this time the: rug, warm wood bookshelf, the use of oranges and wood on the staircase, all lift the temperature visually. It's still pretty industrial, but that's what it's about.

The layout works wonders.
Lesson 1: A solid north facing wall that doesn't get sun doesn't need to have huge windows in it.
From there, the kitchen takes a north east position, perfect for catching sun through the eastern windows as you wait at the sink for the kettle to boil. The dining room also gets morning sun, but falls into shade during noon, peak sun, and would get setting sun through the trees at the end of the living room.
Right of the kitchen dining area are the living and library, through which you head upstairs to a mezzanine floor with what seems to be a bedroom and study at either end of a corridor running the length of the front of the house. They each have windows into the main living area, which is double height, and also out to the sun.
Passing across the glass floor you head up again to the master bedroom, and study with commanding views, perhaps out to the nearby Pacific Ocean and check out that huge walk in wardrobe!!!!

My Favourite Points:
- The solid rear wall with a fireplace in it (with a wetback, that whole wall could be warmed into a giant radiator in winter).
- The huge windows, only Arthur Casas' house in Santana de Parnaíba has a larger opening. I'll try to post this soon, along with some Isay Weinfeld.
- Lap pools rock.
- The innovative use of industrial materials that is still warm and inviting to live in.


Enjoy.































Notes on the project from Steven's site:

700 Palms Residence, Venice, CA, USA

The 700 Palms Residence, completed in 2003, addresses the freedoms and constraints of residential design in Venice. By maximizing volume, light and privacy on a narrow lot with sensitivity to scale and context, the design presents raw, honest materials appropriate to the grittiness of the Venice environment. The house dissolves the barriers between indoors and out, creating flexible spaces that take advantage of the benign climate.The house expresses a counterpoint between a sense of harmony and tranquility with flowing, dynamic spaces. Flexibility and transformation are fully realized through the use of a wood-and-steel frame structure, enclosed and shielded for privacy by a roll-down scrim hung on a skeletal steel frame.As sustainability was a major concern, the design integrates concrete flooring to absorb the sun’s warmth in the winter, operable windows and large sliding doors to facilitate natural ventilation and low-maintenance recycled materials.

Comments

John Commoner said…
I really like this home too. I saw it on HGTV's show "What's With That House" a little while back. Very nice. One of the outdoor patios has in-floor radiant heat! Nice touch. A bit of a splurge - something you could really get used to, though. I can imagine sitting out there on a cool, breezy evening.

Popular posts from this blog

Hiroaki Ohtani - Kobe Layer House

Hiroaki Ohtani Kobe Layer House Continuing the last posts stripy theme, which is about all these houses have in common, despite the Japanese link. This is Hiroaki Ohtani solution to infill in Japan. The house is made up of pre-cast concrete strips, stacked unevenly to allow stairs, furniture and floors to be inserted in the gaps. It's tight, claustrophobic, yet entirely open. There are no internal doors, apart from the sliding doors to the toilet. Passing the tree in the courtyard, that brings irregualar form to this oterwise linear exterior, you enter on a landing, where you can either traverse to the bedroom, or head downstairs to the basement where a formal dining room and bathroom are housed. Climbing up you reach the living room and galley kitchen with a steep set of stairs taking you to the roof deck, of which half is a glazed panel to bathe the main stairwell with light. The front of the house is a larged glass panel to let more light into the house and the r

Murray Cockburn Partnership - Kohara Lodge

Murray Cockburn Partnership Kohara Lodge Of middle earth - Murray Cockburn has created a true hideaway. Kohara Lodge, of local schist stone and sedum roof, sits in quiet vigil above the Shotover river. Oh, and it's a holiday let. Overview Kohara Lodge has been built with environmental considerations in mind. The owners' main aim was to put the land back to the way it was once building had finished hence the design of the property incorporating the natural hillside, and re-planting the grounds with native New Zealand trees. The architect's vision was to replicate the natural environment as much as possible. To this end natural schist stone from a local quarry was used and this was dry laid as much as possible and dry stacked. Recycled railway timbers have been used on the outside of the property and there is no paint anywhere on the exterior of the house. The windows at Kohara Lodge all have Comfort glass to prevent glare and reflection, built in UV protection and double

Lund Hagem - Cabin Ameln

Lund Hagem , based out of Norway have a fantastic site, and collection of baches. Cabin Ameln, a providing sheltered BBQ retreat, and views out across the fjord. Contour hugging hunkered in design, connects with the site while minimalist layout and crisp finishes set it apart from your ordinary weekend retreat. Location: Østerøya, Sandefjord, Norway Size: 90 m2 Completed: 2009 The building sits in sloping terrain in close proximity to the sea. It has been designed to create favourable, screened outdoor areas. Previous buildings (4 in total) have been demolished and replaced with one new building that collects all functions under one roof. The L-shaped layout uses steps to follow the terrain so that the building can utilise existing vegetation and trees to avoid visibility from the sea. This layout creates one upper and one lower outdoor area/patio. The upper patio has been duly screened from the seafront, but offers views through the building due to glass walls. I think I've fo