An interplay of geometries and modern materials makes this seaside home shine.

Located on the Del Mar coast, near the lagoon and coastal bluffs, this project, says Public Architecture and Planning co-principal James Gates, is ultimately “about erosion of sand and rock and time.” While the surrounding nature may be impermanent, this concrete, wood, and steel home, built in 2008 and encompassing 3,200 square feet, stands as a solid base from which its residents can enjoy the changing views outside. Inside, Gates and fellow principal James Brown, along with project manager Michael Paluso, left the steel beams exposed to highlight the building’s simple structural elements.

The house sits on a cast-in-place concrete and masonry base that echoes every detail of its wood forms. On top, a pair of long, continuous exposed steel beams anchor the main portion and elevate the wood-and-glass rectangle above. From the street, the glazed facade reveals one of the firm’s design motifs repeated at points throughout the home: geometric boxes that jut forth from the main planes. Inside, shielded by a natural fence of growing bamboo, huge floor-to-ceiling pocket doors in the living room open onto a cloistered garden.

About the Architect

James Brown & James Gates
Public Architecture & Planning

In 1989 James Brown and James Gates began a collaborative process that has spanned the disciplines of architecture, furniture and public art. With the formation of Public, the two principal partners began their open studio practice. The first projects were furniture and assemblage, with both Brown and Gates frequently participating in architecture and furniture exhibitions. In this early stage of the practice, out of necessity, they began to build their own projects and discovered the strength of the piece could be enhanced if the architect continued the design process through construction. In this way they learned to build. Brown and Gates are general contractors as well as architects and have carried the tradition of architect as master builder into the present. They share a dedication to “slow architecture”, a belief that details can be explored and realized simultaneously, in the field, as opportunities present themselves.

Collaborators

Architect: Public (Principals: James Brown and James Gates. Project Manager: Michael Paluso)

Structural: Raymond Flores, S.E., Flores Lund Consultants

Contractor: Rich Gerace, RGB Group, Inc.

Landscape Architect: Richard Risner, Grounded Landscape Architects