Architecture Wednesday: The Rotation House

Yes, it’s a round house and yes, it spins. It’s like the Jetson’s condo building crash landed on Earth and it’s still inhabited.

This San Diego home, which rotates 360 degrees atop Mount Helix, was designed by owners Al and Janet Johnstone in 2004 to capture the panoramic vistas. The Rotating House is set across two levels and was a self-build project for the couple, who had no previous experience building or designing. After creating the blueprints, their design was reviewed by structural engineers, and the Johnstones set about constructing it.

A powerful motor drives wheels along a steel track, rotating the floor in a 360-degree motion. A full rotation takes between 33 minutes to 24 hours, depending on the speed preference of the inhabitant, and the house can move in both directions.

The circular volume is the primary living space, with floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room, kitchen and four bedrooms with views that range from the Pacific Ocean to downtown San Diego, the Coronado Bridge, Cowles Mountain, Mount Palomar, and the Cuyamaca Mountains.

A kitchenette, two garages and guest accommodation are housed on the first level that does not move, and there’s also a finished basement, rounding out to 4,700 sq ft.

It’s not everyone’s taste. I like the idea but the finishings in this house aren’t for me and neither are some of the color choices. Peach? No.

And lastly, who needs a house that spins? After a few too many Bob-a-Ritas my rectangular house in Camden also spins … without a motor!

 The Spaces

Architecture Wednesday: Phoenix House

Brutalist architecture is characterized by minimalist construction showcasing bare building materials and structural elements over decorative design. Brutalism  commonly makes use of exposed, unpainted concrete or brick, steel, timber and glass, angular geometric shapes and a predominantly monochromatic color palette.

This brutalist masterpiece is in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, near San Diego, and is all of those things and more. Designed by Sebastian Mariscal and dubbed Phoenix House, the three-bedroom dwelling helped Mariscal win the first of three Record House designations when it was completed in 2012., While its façade appears bare and bleak, the 5,616 square foot home evolves entirely around expansive greenery and ocean views. Board-formed concrete interiors open onto outdoor spaces, from a rooftop deck with an outdoor kitchen to breezy balconies, a courtyard garden and a pool, most of which have views of the Pacific Ocean.

Mariscal’s use of tactile concrete walls and slate flooring softened by walnut and mahogany cabinetry and sunlight flooding in through skylights, clerestory openings and apertures that curate views and channel sunshine into the deepest recesses of the five-bedroom home.

The main living space overlooks Cardiff’s familiar but always beautiful Pacific Ocean while the master suite gazes into the peaceful yard and pool area. In the midst of it all, centered between the private walls, is an interior garden, a true focal point of the home.

I’ve always found Brutalism interesting, but rather bleak and institutional, but this house, the way it opens to the views and the greenery and the light, really suits me. Plus, it’s located in the heart of Cardiff's Composer District, on Brahms Road—the most undiscovered, tucked away street, parallel to Rossini Canyon—and feels secluded from the buzzing beach town but is within walking distance to shops, restaurants, entertainment and the beaches.

And it can be yours for $10M.

The Spaces

On This Date In ISBL History: Rebeca is King! Haleigh is Queen!

As I am in Oregon helping my Dad recuperate from knee surgery, I thought I’d do something I’ll call “On This Date In ISBL History” and repost some things from back when the blog was new, and newish … this was originally published November 2, 2011:

At last week's pep rally at Patrick Henry High School in San Diego, Rebeca Arellano was named the school's homecoming king, and at the dance the following night, Rebecca's girlfriend, Haleigh Adams, was declared Homecoming Queen. And that sits very well with the students and the school.

Rebeca was stunned by the sheers that came along with the announcement that she would be king of the dance, and was even more thrilled that Haleigh would be Queen, writing on Facebook: "I was happier than when I won, my little Haleigh has just been announced Homecoming queen and I couldn't feel happier! Thanks to every single one of you! You guys made this happen and we are all part of something huge. I can't fully express how grateful I am. I am in completely shocked that this happen."

This is a story of hope, and I hope that every LGBT student around the world hears it, and realizes that it can get better, it does get better. I like that we see a new openness in at least one high school, and can show other LGBT students that there is a place for them, where they can be themselves and succeed, without bullying, without taunts, without fear.

One day, I hope, gay students can be Homecoming King and Queen at every high school, and it won't make the news, and it won't be Tweeted or be a status update.

It'll just be.

And That seems to be the case, because, more and more often, these stories are no longer “news.”

They just are …

Architecture Wednesday: The Cresta

The Cresta is one of those houses that stands out in the neighborhood, and one of those houses that is not for the faint of heart, or the shy.

It is a 5,300 square foot single-family residence designed and constructed entirely out of cast in place concrete on a 5,000 sq ft lot in the Lower Hermosa region of La Jolla, California, one of the most exclusive zip codes in the country.

The house’s three stories, one below and two above grade, are accented by floor to ceiling glass and large open expanses to the outdoors.

Due to the extraordinarily small property in an area with typical properties three to four times the size every square foot was important. The exterior room was a key element in creating a home that otherwise would have felt much smaller than it is, and more private that it seems.

While this space creates a void, the building's overall form is kept intact. All four corners remain with walls and roof planes to define the original box of the residence.

Adjacent to the front of the structure a reflecting and swimming pool has been integrated into the overall design of the project for thermal cooling and to create the perception that the house is floating. 

With the large expanses of glass, every bit inside the house is opne to the outside, and it takes on the appearance of a glass jewel box at night.

It's not the house for everyone. but it is quite the house.

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