2021 ArchitecTours

and protection should additional boulders tumble down. Full height sliding glass panels provide views of the ocean and access to the pool area to the south, and to the north, connect to hillside gardens and expansive mountain views. Integral-colored stucco continues on both sides of the glass walls, blurring the visual transition between the cabana interior and the outdoor deck. Earth tones emerge from the ground while the white ceiling plane reflects late afternoon sun below the deep south-facing overhang. Corten steel materially links the structure to the renovated pool deck and walls below. The thick walls provide opportunities for closets, bookshelves, fireplace, a reading nook, and kitchen counters.

Details emphasize simplicity – reglets transition wall to ceiling planes, all openings and doors are full height, jambs are concealed, creating smooth corners with no trim. At the Corten fascia, an integrated gutter passes through the wall into a hanging anchor-chain, eliminating downspouts and reflecting the owners’ love of the sea. Solar panels on the roof generate electricity and warm the pool water. The design transforms what was once a mountainside shelter into a sustainable oasis with extraordinary views from the craggy peaks to the vast ocean – pure California

outside and detailed to match and compliment the main house. It is “big” on the inside with vaulted ceilings filled with light and air and equipped with a kitchen, bathroom, closet, and a cabinet that pulls-out into a queen bed. Cool breezes andnatural light come through operable windows on all three sides along with a large skylight. French doors at opposite ends provide direct access to the garden. A mini-split mechanical system supplies heat and air conditioning when needed.

A large room on the property side of the building provides space for all other kinds of storage. The setback space behind the structure is designed to accommodate and conceal trash containers and garden tools. Storm water runoff is designed to direct water to the garden areas. The construction was completed March of 2021. The design and permitting took roughly one year. Construction extended from 6 months to 9 months due to replacement orders for items damaged in shipment. This 483 square foot structure with 267 square foot living space is a beautiful model of what can be done on a typical Santa Barbara property to sensitively add housing and density while preserving the scale and character of existing neighborhoods.

1988 and 2015 but the bones of the hunting lodge remain. The architecture used the lodge or craftsman style as its base and grew whimsical Art Nouveau, Quadiesque sculpted shapes creating a rhythm throughout the home. You see a little Bernard Maybeck influence as well.

The passive solar devices include ample shading on west facing windows and opening up to the south for daylighting. The home is built around a large live oak tree which spreads its umbrella over most of the home, creating shade and cooling all year round. The active solar systems include a net zero photovoltaic solar array. There is also a whole house fan for summer cooling, R-40 Icynene natural insulation, and underfloor hydroponic heating. The home includes a natural creek which feeds a natural pool pond and a passive, energy efficient, day lit basement, subterranean game room. The home also has its own spring fed water supply. With all of this the home was truly built as a Temple to Nature.

The facility includes robust barn-like buildings housing studios, classrooms, and maker spaces surrounding a light-filled collaboration core – designed for 21st century active learning while respecting rustic traditions of The Thacher School. At the heart of the building, a two-story collaboration/presentation space enables interdisciplinary learning. In addition to supporting informal lectures and gatherings, the space also allows for flexible breakout work, gallery, exhibition and art/design pin-up. This transparent, innovative inner core creates connections – visual and physical – at the individual, class, and school-wide scale, and fosters collaboration and multi-disciplinary interaction.

Surrounding this collaborative hub are high-tech maker spaces, light-filled classrooms, and “rough-house” studios – with all spaces connecting directly to the core as well as to outdoor workspaces. The design establishes positive site relationships between the new building and existing campus spaces. The facility embodies and supports Thacher’s ‘Four C’s’ of 21st-century learning: Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration, and Creativity. The new learning spaces better match with educational goals, methods, traditions, and community values.

interior of the dining area through clerestory windows created by stepping pitched roof forms that echo the mountain backdrop. Inside, vaulting ceilings create a dignified space appropriate for the most important gathering space on campus.

Architecture merges with landscape through a 6,000 square foot green roof, and a palette of wood and stone that connects the interior spaces with the natural world around them. Expansive operable glazed openings allow for indoor-outdoor dining and a greater connection (both visual and physical) to the natural environment.

The building is on track to achieve LEED Gold certification. High performance bamboo siding is both naturally beautiful, 100% recyclable, cradle-to-cradle Gold and FSC certified. Corrugated weathering steel roof and wall panels are naturally resistant to decay and have a high recycled content. Availability of natural light and air afforded by large areas of operable glazing are beneficial to users and reduce energy needs. Long southern roof overhangs take advantage of solar heat gain in the winter months and shade glass in the summer months.