House in Sunshine Valley

Located in a valley of the Santa Cruz Mountains, the house is shaped by its primary site conditions—a riparian woodland, Dean Creek, and their respective setbacks—which cut diagonally through the north side of the property. The house’s massing exaggerates the faceted quality of the site’s remaining buildable area.

The exterior expression creates tension between readings of surface and volume and between tectonics and sculptural effect. Each exterior façade is conceived as a plane of vertical lines interrupted by square punched openings. The rainscreen cladding system utilizes a single material—unpainted cedar—deployed in varying widths and spacings. The alternating standard 1×1, 1×4, and 1×8 cladding boards produce subtle shifts in texture and appearance at each change of plane.