Four Houses Four Stories - Flipbook - Page 65
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FLOOR ING FINISHES
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Bamboo Hardwood Floor
Terrazo Floor
Ultraplush Carpet
Pile Carpet
Marmoleum
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With the newly created relationship
of the open-ended
courtyard and existing tree in place, we
sensed that a dynamic
“merging ingredient”
was missing. It was spatial “perspective.” With
a flat horizon of the site
and surrounding neighborhood, the juxtaposition
of the landscape to human
scale is static. Few places
in the region exist that either
humble or glorify man, nature or
object. No sense of drama when
looking down over a valley or up at
majestic mountains. Although most
homes are constructed a few feet
higher than the surrounding grade, the
landscape doesn’t appear connected to
the finish floor. Flat land is just a tabletop to
set things on. We wanted to add a perceptible
but subtle grade change that would
amplify the journey from street to
front door—create a sequence that
would heighten the symbolic stature of the home, tree and journey.
The grade from street level to the
courtyard rear rises about 5' over
a distance of 90' as it symbolically sweeps the front yard into the
courtyard and to the front door.
Given that most residential structures in the region are built on a
graded flat pad or a raised wood
foundation with perimeter concrete
footings, it is very rare to raise the
finish floor and landscape on a flat
site with imported soil. The raised
“knoll” enables the interior/exterior
floors to remain at the same grade
and a few levels above the backyard
and swimming pool while diverting
neighborhood floodwaters around
the site. By the way—the import soil
is from an alluvial deposit!
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ST FLOOR PLAN
Entry Foyer & Planter
Guest Room/Bath
Office
Powder
Living Room
Dining Room
Gallery Wall
Kitchen
Pantry
Walk-in Cooler
Breakfast Nook
Family Room
Garage/Family Room Expansion
Garage/Catering-Staging Area
Sports Closet
Pool Bathroom
Utility/Storage Room
Sliding Wall-Door
Outdoor/Indoor Fireplace
Upper Entertainment Patio
TV/Stereo Cabinet
Bar Counter
Desk
Buffet Cabinet
Swing Garage Divider Wall
Curved Lightbeam
DESIGN
SOLUTION
