SLAB
HOUSE: So named because of the visually appealing 1 ft. thick (white) slab
walls that run front to back - the thickness emphazised by the 3 ft. square
'holes' at the front door and on the dining deck - plus the 'floating' slab
wall concealing the stairs to the roof deck. But the primary appeal is the
open plan interior where the multi-levels open into the 23 ft. high entrance
gallery - with 3 ft. square sky lights above and 3 ft. square windows up the
front wall and down the back wall. Check the drawings below with front walls
removed.
FIRST
FLOOR: The 24 ft. square double garage is on the same level as the 13 ft.
wide entrance gallery. An airtight wood heater (not the primary heat source)
with fresh air intake to the combustion chamber is fed from fire wood stored
at the rear of the garage. The chimney (encased stainless steel - not insulated)
throws as much heat as the heater itself - and a 'casa blanca' ceiling fan
circulates the rising heat throughout the house. A hand rail separates the
living room (4 ft. higher) from the entrance gallery, and the dining room
floor above cantilevers over part of the entrance. The dining room and deck
cantilever over the garage doors to provide rain shelter when approaching
the front door.
SECOND
FLOOR: The stairs are open to the gallery. The first run leads from the entrance
to living room level. The second run leads from the living room level to kitchen/dining
level. Standing at the dining room rail one looks down into the entrance and
acroos the gallery space into the living room. There's an 'L' shaped kitchen
counter/eating bar, with a telephone desk next to the back door which leads
out onto a ground level back deck - the house was designed for a sloping lot
facing water views, with existing houses on surrounding lots - hence the need
for privacy on the dining and roof decks. The utility room is accessed through
the kitchen behind a pocket door. The roof deck is reached by outside stairs
from the dining deck. The third run of stairs leads from the dining level
to the main bedroom plus study level. A pocket door provides ensuite privacy
- though the study could be used as a third bedroom. The main bedroom has
a window opening into the gallery space making the dining and entrance level
visible from this bedroom - and allowing morning light from the sky lights
to filter into the bedroom. There's a soaker tub plus shower stall in the
main bathroom.
ROOF
DECK: Views from the roof deck are fabulous, and privacy from the house behind
can be attained by planting tall growing shrubs in tubs along the back deck
half wall. The beams over the dining deck provide stability for the privacy
wall as well as somewhere to suspend hanging flower baskets or bird feeders.
DESIGNER'S
COMMENTS: The cross sections and drawings with front walls removed show the
open plan volumes. The original owners invited me to many parties and social
gatherings at the house and the traffic flows worked wonderfully. In the photographs
of the built house below notice that many of the 'slab' architectural details
were removed to reduce construction costs. To compensate and provide some
architectural interest the windows were wrapped round the corners and pushed
out 6 inches.
