The Kelly Residence is an exploration of balance: solid versus void, private versus exposed, stoic versus playful. These dichotomies combine under a collective architectural theme of contrasting box figurations. Le Corbusier’s Five Points Towards a New Architecture, developed in 1927, are a loose influence for this project. They are examined and reinterpreted for the modern era.
The columns on the ground floor allow the façade to exist independently from the structure. This steel framing also allows floorplans to flow with openness. Frameless windows allow expansiveness to succeed.
Sustainable design is at the core of this house without being overtly expressed in the aesthetic. As a result, the user’s experience of form, light and material remains dominant. The house is designed with photovoltaic cells hidden on the roof, grey water reclamation, an artificial lawn, sub-surface drip irrigation for planting, rain-screen façades for thermal stability, flash hot water heating, and bamboo flooring.
The Southern California climate and spacious project site negated the need for a garden. The rooms on the ground floor all have large openings that allow the garden to run under the house. A series of ponds and a pool provide a reflective quality to the exterior textural palette.
