7.5.2019 | DIGS.NET 13
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An important
goal for the
project was to
heal the site by
returning the
majority of
the landscape to
native plants.
"
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF
BENJAMIN BENSCHNEIDER AND
SIMON WATSON
topography. One of them hosts the living spaces; the second comprises
the guest suites; and the third is home to the main sleeping areas.
With its pure lines, the architecture of the whole project was meant
to create a connection with nature. Among the main characteristics
of the design are the corrugated metal roofs, which reference their
traditional Hawaiian counterparts, calling to mind architect Charles
William Dickey's work to popularize this style in the 1920s and
1930s. ese elements, which go beyond the facades and create
large terraces, protect dwellers from the sun while maintaining the
breeze, providing better natural ventilation and ensuring as little air
condition as possible. "Studies of the site revealed virtually constant
winds," Kundig says. "Using the Dickey-style roof as a starting
point, the design was turbocharged, deliberately shaping roof forms
and openings to allow breezes to pull hot air out."
e large, floor-to-ceiling glass windows can be completely opened
to the ipe wood deck (which almost doubles the home's livable area),
garden and swimming pool, encouraging the enjoyment of spectacular
ocean views. e materials are local, durable, low-maintenance
and virtually fireproof while also protecting the home from noise.
roughout all the spaces, wool, steel and rammed earth walls made
with soil from the site are mixed. e result is that tranquility and
harmony pervade every aspect of this project, where the greatness of
the landscape is noticed at every second, and in every corner, becoming
the true protagonist of the home, both inside and out.
"I don't think that I could ever design something as beautiful as
what's already out there," Kundig says. "We're here to frame the
landscape, to create an experience of that place, and perhaps to bring
some of that experience—the intimacy, the vulnerability—inside the
house." olsonkundig.com
