javier_rodriguez

We experience the world we inhabit primarily through vision, and light is the medium. My house is a celebration of light and its counter part, shadow. Designing a house based on how I feel at home explores the relationship between the science of perception, of the body and its interactions with the physical world. Feeling at home it’s more than the living experience itself, it’s an active intervention of my ideas in the evolution of my own dwelling. Therefore, my house creates a framework for understanding my experiences throughout time.

The idea is to create a dwelling that allows interior and exterior living spaces to blend rather seamlessly. The site forces deliberately turned the structure’s back on the south side, favoring, of course, the spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance, and the San Francisco Bay. One of the most unique features of the house is perhaps the indoor-outdoor relationship created by framing the views towards north. Construction in precast concrete tilt-up planks is complemented by the simplicity of the glazing planes on the north façade.

In plan, the house is divided into east wing which is dedicated for work-at-home, and west wing which houses all social and family activities. Juggling its many uses, the house is a multifunctional microcosm of private life, work studio space and family life.

To maximize interior comfort, special attention is paid to the building envelope and its natural influences on the site. The building envelope is conceived as a breathing assembly in which natural driving forces such as wind effect, temperature gradient, and stack effect will provide the needed interior building comfort. As a consequent, the skin of the house is envisioned with different levels of permeability based on what driving force will be taken into account.

Throughout the house, maximum energy use is made of passive solar energy, natural ventilation, and green spaces. Sewage is minimized through grey water recycling. Rainwater recycling and optimizing sunlight hours through the use of photovoltaic panels incorporated into the building. Ecological ideas are offered along with the ultramodern style of spaces, materials, and details. Recycled building components would be part of the construction management procedure.

The white-colored concrete interiors are characterized by diagonal rays of light calculated to ricochet through the section on certain days of the year. These strange, surprising, and phenomenal experiences in space, perspective and light provide an inspiring frame for everyday’s life. The loft like atmosphere is carried out through the house as a deliberated representation of the microcosm’s openness within the contained spaces.