Big Sur House

Field Architecture·Monterey, United States

2024Private House (XL >6000 sq ft)Residential

Year: 2024
Category: Residential · Private House (XL >6000 sq ft)
Type: Residential
Status: Built
Firm: Field Architecture
Location: Monterey, United States

Situated on the California coast between the Santa Lucia mountains and the Big Sur cliffs, the home’s complex site presented an opportunity for a deep exploration of site geology and hydrology. Surveys revealed that the apparently flat site was in fact an infilled ravine housing a seasonal waterway. This discovery provided us with a new understanding of the topography and ecology of the site. No longer a plateau, the site had revealed itself to be a ravine. From this point on, the guiding principle of the development of the site was the remediation of the watershed traveling through it.

The building’s form is bifurcated by the ravine, linked with a bridge that provides visual connection to the restored intermittent coastal stream. Stringent fire-resistant measures were incorporated into the structure: ignition resistant, noncombustible wall materials, non-vented soffits, and class A roof with rock ballast. The project fundamentally pushes for greater depth and understanding of site analysis, offering a forward-thinking approach to the analysis process that centralizes watershed health and in so doing, promotes long term ecological restoration as part of a symbiotic relationship with the architecture.

The architecture protects the restoration of its site and ensures the long-term health of this watershed.