Laguna Beach House Built Around Spiral Staircase that Forms Oculus Open to the Sky

Houses

This is a contemporary home featuring expansive glass walls and sliding doors.

Architect: Martin Fenlon Architecture
Structural Engineering: Martin Fenlon Architecture
Location: Laguna Beach, CA
Area: 1,480 s.f.
Project Year: 2014 – 2021
Photography: John Linden

This is a house equipped with a garage and an attractive balcony covered in wooden cladding.
This is a house equipped with a garage and an attractive balcony covered in wooden cladding.
The camera focuses on a curved section of the house that rises upward.
The camera focuses on a curved section of the house that rises upward.
The white-painted curved section of the house adds a unique design element.
The white-painted curved section of the house adds a unique design element.
With its glass walls and sliding doors, this modern house provides a spacious interior that is a joy to experience.
With its glass walls and sliding doors, this modern house provides a spacious interior that is a joy to experience.
The room is unoccupied, but the large windows offer a view of the backyard.
The room is unoccupied, but the large windows offer a view of the backyard.
In this modern house with glass walls, there is a spiral staircase that adds a touch of elegance.
In this modern house with glass walls, there is a spiral staircase that adds a touch of elegance.
The spiral staircase in this modern setting features a black metal handrail and glass railing for a sleek and contemporary look.
The spiral staircase in this modern setting features a black metal handrail and glass railing for a sleek and contemporary look.
In the foreground, there is a plant accenting a curved staircase in the background.
In the foreground, there is a plant accenting a curved staircase in the background.
The view from a bird's eye perspective showcases the spiral section of the house and its skylight.
The view from a bird’s eye perspective showcases the spiral section of the house and its skylight.
The 2D drawing presents a plan of the Sunset Terrace.
The 2D drawing presents a plan of the Sunset Terrace.
The 2D drawing presents a plan of the Sunset Terrace.The 2D site plan of the Sunset Terrace.
The 2D site plan of the Sunset Terrace.

 

Floor plan of Sunset Terrace
Floor plan of Sunset Terrace

 

Floor plan of Sunset Terrace
Floor plan of Sunset Terrace

This 1,480 sf. house has been built on a lot of only 2,400 sf. in an area known as Sunset Terrace in Laguna Beach, California. It is anchored to the site by an oculus that is open to the sky. The surrounding space of the site, seemingly compressed, to passes through the interior and back out. The house is comprised of a ground floor living level and garage with a bedroom level perched on top. After a lengthy variance process, an existing masonry garage was incorporated into the design when permission to reuse it was granted by the city.

There are roof decks on the second level where it is set back at the front and rear yards in accordance with the zoning requirements. A vortex-like space, encompassing a light well encircled by a spiral staircase, passes through the otherwise straightforward arrangement of the wood-clad box over the stucco-clad base.

The staircase remains one-story as it ascends from the ground to the second level, reducing the amount of material used and maximizing the limited permeable ground area of the site. A unique continuity between the different upper and lower levels is created, resulting in a fluctuating play of light, depending on the time of day and year.

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