Live Oak Canyon

Year Started:

2017

Location:

Trabuco Canyon, California

SQ FT:

3,700

Story:

This property was a wild wooded site located at the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains. It was full of mature California coastal oak trees. The cluster of coast oaks at the center of the site would be the focal point that the house was positioned to view. The site was bowl-shaped with hills all around it. The goal of the design was to have minimal impact on the site and provide 180-degree views of the central cluster of coastal oak trees.

We wanted to use a similar oak species for the exterior wood on the home, so the architecture would harmonize with the large coastal oaks on site. This would establish a connection with the native landscape and make the house feel more natural in its surroundings. The stone and plaster on the home's exterior were also carefully matched with the tones and textures of the gravel and stone on site.

The home was designed using ICF (Insulated Concrete Form) Construction. The exterior and retaining walls were designed to provide a robust thermal insulation layer. This area of Orange County can get incredibly hot in the summer, so we wanted to be smart about keeping the temperature moderated and cautious about the energy required to heat/cool the home.

The home is also dug into the hill, submerging its rear wall in the landscape. This design strategy integrates the house seamlessly into the landscape. It is also another way to help keep the house cool by using the earth's thermal mass. It posed some challenges with drainage at the rear wall, but we could navigate it with civil engineering and drainage strategies to divert the water away and around the home's back wall.

I spent days on the site observing the sun, collecting local rocks and plants, and sitting quietly, trying to soak in the atmosphere. Over this time, it became clear that the home needed to be secondary to the landscape. I wanted the design to play the backup role and allow the native landscape to take center stage.