Diamond House, Santa Monica, California, USA, by XTEN Architecture

Diamond House is a house extension designed by XTEN Architecture as a patterned and perforated lantern illuminating a California canyon. It is located against a sloping hillside, with minimal access and little space upon which to build.

Because of the challenging geotechnical conditions of the spot, Diamond Housed required 9m caissons to underpin new walls and foundations. A complex web of regulations governed the height, width, depth and specific relationship to the retaining walls needed to build the project.

Given these constraints, a multifaceted architectural strategy was developed for the small building. First, a base building geometry was developed to conform to the hillside and required codes while maximizing the interior spaces by extending them into adjacent sideyards.

The building geometry also conforms to the interior program as a series of wall planes fold up and over the building to create a rooftop railing and enclosure.

The facade pattern was created from natural elements taken from the canyon site.

The10mm thick Swiss pearl fibre cement panels shown on the final construction were selected for both the way they relate to the masonry site walls and original structure, and for the fragility they impart to the otherwise hard-edged geometry of the building.

Plans

Project details

Architect: XTEN Architecture
Photographer: Art Gray Photography
Principals: Monika Haefelfinger &Austin Kelly, AIA, LEED AP
Client: Aisha Ayers
Contractor: Grendel Construction
Project Location: Santa Monica, California, USA
Completion Date: December 2009
Total Area: 250m² Interior, 150m² Roof Deck, 365m² Exterior Terraces/ Firepit Area
Landscaping/ Site Pieces: Mark Motonaga