Samurai Armor

This renovation and expansion of a large home in Santa Monica responds to a unique context that is both challenging and iconic. Situated on a shotgun lot spanning the busy Pacific Coast Highway and Santa Monica beach, the property abuts a random collection of homes in styles ranging from fake Renaissance to 90s modern. Unlike the neighboring residences, this house has no face. It remains mysterious. The windows of the existing house are erased in favor of supersized overlapping panels, like Samurai armor. This armor literally protects the house from the extreme noise and jarring visuals of one of the most heavily trafficed highways in California. The overlapping panels are made from oversized cast GFRC with custom embossed "tattoos" that exaggerate the shadows cast by the panels themselves. The residence's beach-facing facade, in contrast, is almost completely open via large-format sliding glass doors.

A hidden courtyard nestles within the building's two wings, bringing daylight into both spaces with crystalline sliced glazing. A multi-story helical stair made of cast stone can be glimpsed through one of these large windows, connecting all levels of the house together.