Blades Residence
Santa Barbara, California · 1995
Photo · Photo by Kim Zwarts
A precedent for deconstructivist residential architecture, demonstrating how canted wall planes, cantilevered elements, and integrated water features can create a dynamic relationship with a natural landscape.
- What we like about this project
- The balcony railing consists of thin, horizontally stacked white tubes that project outward like a grill.
Materials
- stucco
- concrete
- timber
- steel
- glass
Visual identifiers
- canted-wall
- cantilevered-balcony
- lap-pool
- timber-decking
- board-formed-concrete
Style tags
- deconstructivist
- expressive-geometry
- sculptural
Visual tags
- deconstructivism
- angular-geometry
- residential
- indoor-outdoor
- california-modernism
- Geometry
- Dynamic, non-orthogonal massing featuring a canted, angled stucco wall plane that slices diagonally across the facade. This is paired with a cantilevered balcony and a linear lap pool that runs parallel to the building's main axis.
- Facade system
- Stucco-clad rainscreen or solid plaster finish with integrated metal flashing and recessed glazing.
- Structural guess
- Steel frame with light-gauge steel or wood framing to achieve the complex canted geometries.
- Spatial scale
- Two-story residential scale with a low-slung profile that hugs the topography.
- Lighting
- Bright, direct daylight casting sharp, dramatic shadows that accentuate the angled planes and deep recesses of the facade.
- Atmosphere
- Sculptural and dynamic, where sharp architectural angles contrast with the soft, natural landscape.
- Environmental context
- Set within a lush, grassy lawn with mature trees and distant mountains under a blue sky, typical of a coastal California valley.
- Spatial experience
- The building transitions from a solid, protective shell to an open, landscape-integrated living zone. A timber deck acts as a transitional threshold between the glazed interior and the grassy yard.
- Composition rhythm
- A strong diagonal thrust from the canted wall is balanced by the horizontal lines of the pool, deck, and concrete garden wall.
- Style reading
- Deconstructivist modernism
- Program
- Single-family private residence
- Perspective
- Exterior Facade
- Discipline
- architecture
- Materials
- stucco, concrete, timber, steel, glass
- Visual identifiers
- canted-wall, cantilevered-balcony, lap-pool, timber-decking, board-formed-concrete
- Style tags
- deconstructivist, expressive-geometry, sculptural
- Visual tags
- deconstructivism, angular-geometry, residential, indoor-outdoor, california-modernism
- Geometry
- Dynamic, non-orthogonal massing featuring a canted, angled stucco wall plane that slices diagonally across the facade. This is paired with a cantilevered balcony and a linear lap pool that runs parallel to the building's main axis.
- Facade system
- Stucco-clad rainscreen or solid plaster finish with integrated metal flashing and recessed glazing.
- Structural guess
- Steel frame with light-gauge steel or wood framing to achieve the complex canted geometries.
- Spatial scale
- Two-story residential scale with a low-slung profile that hugs the topography.
- Lighting
- Bright, direct daylight casting sharp, dramatic shadows that accentuate the angled planes and deep recesses of the facade.
- Atmosphere
- Sculptural and dynamic, where sharp architectural angles contrast with the soft, natural landscape.
- Environmental context
- Set within a lush, grassy lawn with mature trees and distant mountains under a blue sky, typical of a coastal California valley.
- Spatial experience
- The building transitions from a solid, protective shell to an open, landscape-integrated living zone. A timber deck acts as a transitional threshold between the glazed interior and the grassy yard.
- Composition rhythm
- A strong diagonal thrust from the canted wall is balanced by the horizontal lines of the pool, deck, and concrete garden wall.
- Style reading
- Deconstructivist modernism
- Program
- Single-family private residence
- Perspective
- Exterior Facade
- Discipline
- architecture