Project: Grandview House
Architects: ras-a studio
Structural Engineering: Eric McCullum
General Contractor: Dave Valenzuela
Location: Manhattan Beach, California
Photography: Chang Kyun Kim
Grandview House is a family home designed by ras-a studio, located in Manhattan Beach.
Description by Ras-A: The Grandview House is located in the Los Angeles coastal city of Manhattan Beach, California. Having the constraints of a long and narrow lot, theco solution is a long and slender building that is arranged around a courtyard. Carved out of the southern interior side of the lot, the courtyard becomes a large outdoor living space which brings sun light into the core of the house and allows the interiors to spill outdoors.
The original house on the site, built in 1927, was hand demolished to the foundations. Its footprint and silhouette are recycled into the new design as a smooth troweled white stucco box that contains the homes public spaces. It is in sharp contrast to the dark charred cedar that clads the private portions of the house. Bricks from an old patio on the property are repurposed into an outdoor fireplace and grill. The interiors have concrete flooring, maple stairs, walnut casework, and ceilings of hemlock which match the sauna.
A passive solar design, consisting of operable windows and ventilating light wells arranged to take advantage of constant ocean breezes, keeps the house cool in the summer without the need for an A/C unit. A hydronic radiant floor system provides clean heat for the house including the outdoor patio allowing year round use of the courtyard.
