above image © Luxigon

all images (except renderings) © REX Architects

REX Architects designed a familiy home for three generations. A patriarch dreams to build a family home—"a jewel box for individual lifestyles"—in which he, his wife, his four children, and each of their four families will reside. Three of the children are currently too young to have families of their own or to define their future needs and desires. A building concept is thereby required that can accommodate families that do—and do not yet—exist. The patriarch's other major wishes are that the ensemble of five homes has the architectural integrity of a single building, that the building look as though it has always been part of the site, and that it incorporate a classic double stair.

To create a structure in which each home can be experienced autonomously and as a component of a larger domestic network, the residence's program is organized into a necklace whose gems alternate between the five homes and five shared pavilions: an event space, an indoor & outdoor swimming pool, a gym & spa, a library & study, and a home cinema & performance space.

The extraordinary site commands views out to the ocean from a high bluff on one side, and into a dense, old-growth forest on the other. Straddling the line between these radically different landscapes, the necklace achieves a residential Holy Grail: it exists simultaneously at the beach and in the woods. Each of the five homes are thereby afforded different site experiences: ocean, forest, or half-and-half.

While the ocean-side portions of the residence are on grade, due to the site's steep drop-off, the forest-side portions extend horizontally into the tree canopy, giving these elements a tree-house experience. Entry is gained by driving under the residence’s elevated components into a secret garden at the building’s heart.

To accommodate the possible needs and proclivities of families which do not yet exist, the five homes are designed as unique gems on the necklace, each with a distinct living typology based loosely upon one of five canonical, Modernist homes. Should the four children and their families live permanently at the residence, the palette of homes will provide options to which each child—with his or her family's future lifestyle preferences—might gravitate. Should the four children and their families only make frequent visits to the residence, they can enjoy alternate architectural and site experiences each stay.

Philip Johnson's Glass House as experienced on the property.

Eero Saarinen's Miller House as experienced on the property.

Eero Saarinen, Charles Eames, and Ray Eames' Case Study House No. 8 as experienced on the property.

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's Tugendhat Villa as experienced on the property.

Plan level 1

Plan level 2

Site plan (ocean to left, forest to right, and secret garden at center).

Driving under the cantilevered home, one enters the arrival courtyard: a secret garden whose clear, fluted glass visually ties the three-generational family together. image © Luxigon

The residence's main entry and its curling reinterpretation of a classic double stair provide access to the residence's roof terrace, while also serving as an event space with views to the ocean and central garden. image © Luxigon

By night, the exterior's mirror glass appears to dissolve, creating a lively lantern on the bluff. image © Luxigon

Project Facts

Client: Confidential
Program: Private residence for three generations, including parents’ home, four children’s homes, event space, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, gym, spa, library, study, home cinema, and performance space
Area: 3,300 m² (35,500 sf)
Construction Budget: Confidential
Status: Invited competition, first prize, 2013; commenced Schematic Design, 2013; completion expected, 2017
Design Architect: REX
Personnel: Adam Chizmar, Alberto Cumerlato, Mette Fast, Tyler Hopf, Gabriel Jewell-Vitale, Roberto Otero, Joshua Prince-Ramus, Raul Rodriguez, Aude Soffer, Minyoung Song, Elina Spruza, Alex Tehranian, Cristina Webb
Executive Architect: AVGA
Consultants: Arup, Front, Kean Development, Magnusson Klemencic, !melk, Tillotson Design

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