The planning strategy was to integrate building, outdoor spaces and landscape through interlocking volumes resulting in an ordered sequence of layers in both the north-south and east-west axes. The tree-lined entry drive along the western edge of the site screens the guesthouse and tennis court to the east. The drive ends in a landscaped autocourt, which acts as a transition between the guest house/lawn area and the main house and pool area, located at the southern edge of the site parallel to the bluff and ocean. To maximize views and introduce an architectural scale appropriate to the size of the site, the living/dining/kitchen and master bedroom are elevated to the second floor. They are organized under a gull wing roof, forming a continuous inverted vault ceiling over these spaces.

At ground level the entry separates the garage and service areas from the children’s bedrooms, and allows direct access to the pool terrace. A circulation zone runs parallel to the two story exterior glazed wall, connecting both full and half levels of the house physically and visually. A ramp leads from the entry to the first half level where it is terminated by the master bedroom. There a spiral stair leads to a sleeping loft, oriented towards the ocean, and overlooking the sitting room below. The second floor provides a loft-like sequence of living/dining/kitchen spaces open to views of the ocean.

Located below the existing grade at “basement” level are the screening room, exercise room, service and mechanical areas. This below-grade level becomes a plinth for the remainder of the house. The extensive program of this house was resolved into one coherent composition by interlocking building volumes with outdoor spaces within the framework of the site. This resulted in inventive sectional and circulation manipulations.

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