RIVIERA RESIDENCE

A CASE STUDY IN FIRE-RESISTANT DESIGN

SANTA BARBARA, CA

A new home has been built in the Riviera neighborhood of Santa Barbara, California, to replace a former residence in a wildfire-prone area. Drawing inspiration from the mid-century Case Study homes program, the residence incorporates fire-resistant materials and native landscaping, the home balances aesthetic appeal with safety, embodying the timeless elegance of Southern California architecture while addressing the challenges of its environment. The home is an expression of steel, concrete, and glass. The building makes use of fire-resistant materials and built to resist.

The home maintains the footprint of the eclipsed former residence as per Santa Barbara zoning requirements. Walls of glass are framed within the steel frame structure and offer optimal transparency. The house maintains both an inward focus (that offers access to the pool and private gardens to the North) as well as majestic panoramic vistas extending over the Pacific.

The modest home has an open plan where the living, dining, and kitchen areas are orderly aligned. The main living spaces are anchored with bedroom suites on either side. An ADU was designed for the lower, semi-subterranean level. The space is carved out of the hillside site and nestled within the natural vegetation of the hillside slope.

The highly sustainable home is LEED platinum worthy employing both active and passive strategies as well as using materials and building systems elevated to the highest degree.

LOCATION

Santa Barbara, CA

PROGRAM

Single Family Residence

SIZE

2,500 sq ft

STATUS

Completed 2023

DISTINCTIONS

American Architecture Award 2023

Interior Design Magazine Best of Year Award

Architecture MasterPrize Award

The PLAN Award

Residential Design Magazine, Published

FIRE-RESISTANT STRATEGIES

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