为一对狂热的艺术收藏家设计的Branch House，位于Montecito山上的一英亩土地上。这块地原来有一栋1960年代的牧场别墅，遵循了美国郊区的标准模式：前院专门用于汽车和草坪，后院与房子不相连。新的房子呈圆形排列，被认为是一组程序体量，每一个都有自己独特的光线和视野方向。除了提供一个主要的景观视野外，每个体量都有一个天窗，以提供次要的自然光源和天空景观。一个用玻璃衬托的空间连接脊柱被设计为住宅的主要流通脊柱，并作为一个画廊来展示艺术。
The Branch House designed for a couple of avid art collectors, is located on a one-acre lot in the hills of Montecito. The property originally held a 1960’s Ranch House that followed the standard tropes of American suburbia: front yard dedicated to automobile and lawn, and a back yard disconnected from the house. The new house, arranged in the round, is conceived as a cluster of program volumes each with its own unique orientation to light and view. In addition to providing a primary view out to the landscape, each volume also has a skylight to offer a secondary natural light source and a view of the sky. An interstitial connecting-spine lined with glass was designed as the home’s main circulation spine and as a gallery to display art.
拆除原来的牧场使我们能够恢复原生的橡树林，并将土地恢复到其自然等级。通过与树艺师的密切合作，我们在橡树丛中建造了新房子。在建筑体量接近橡树根部的地方，我们用混凝土桩将房子浮出地面，以保护本地树木。 新的沿海活橡树和其他本地植物被添加进来，以促进房子周围的生态系统的未来增长。
Demolishing the original ranch allowed us to restore the native Oak grove and return the earth to its natural grade. Working closely with an arborist, we built the new house within the Oaks. Where the building volumes came into close proximity to the Oak root zone we floated the house off the ground by means of concrete piles to protect the native trees. New coastal live Oak trees and other native plants were added to promote future growth of the ecosystem around the house.
主要结构是一个暴露的柱子和横梁结构，根据房子的几何形状进行调整，由工程层压板木材组成。南加州的这个地区以野火闻名。2008年，Tea火灾摧毁了周围社区的许多房屋。因此，当地建筑法规现在禁止使用未经防火处理的木材作为外部覆层材料。为了解决这些法规问题（以及客户希望住在树丛中的愿望），房子的内部结构是木制的，外部的 “盔甲 “是由铜瓦制成的，具有耐火性。铜皮与木质框架之间用雨幕隔开。铜瓦的尺寸和配置是严格按照房间容积的分段几何形状来设计的。
The main structure of Branch House is an exposed post and beam structure adjusted to the geometry of the house and comprised of engineered Laminated Veneer Lumber. This area of Southern California is known for its wildfires. In 2008, the Tea Fire destroyed many homes in the surrounding community. As a result, local building codes now prohibit the use of non-fire treated wood as an exterior cladding material. To address these code concerns (and the clients’ desire to live among the trees) the house was built with a wood interior structure and a fire-resistive exterior “armor” made of copper tiles. The copper skin was separated from the wood frame with a rain screen. The size and configuration of the copper tiling were tightly tailored to accommodate the segmented geometry of the room volumes.
颜色和材料也发挥了重要作用。铜覆层正在形成一种铜锈，随着时间的推移，它将进一步把房子融入橡树林的景观中。其余的材料调色板都是为其原始品质而选择的。橡木门、镀锌钢护栏、花旗松天花板、橡木柜门以及混凝土烟囱和地板。另一方面，画廊的白墙是为了突出业主的当代艺术收藏的合成品质。
Color and material also play an important role. The copper cladding is developing a patina that over time will further integrate the house into the Oak grove landscape. Much of the rest of the material palette was selected for its raw qualities: Oak doors, galvanized steel guard rails, Douglas fir ceilings, Oak cabinet doors, and concrete chimneys and flooring. The white walls of the gallery, on the other hand, were selected to accentuate the synthetic qualities of the owners’ contemporary art collection.
房屋的 “湿 “体量（厨房、化妆室和浴室）通过从地板到天花板的单色希思陶瓷天然粘土砖与其他空间区分开来。丰富的室内色彩为该项目增添了惊喜的元素。每个空间的天窗都带来了自然光，让人觉得自己在一个向天空开放的釉面容器内。
The “wet” volumes of the house (kitchen, powder room, and bathrooms) are distinguished from the other spaces by floor-to-ceiling, single-color, Heath Ceramic natural clay tile. The richly colored interiors add an element of surprise to the project. The skylight at each of these spaces brings in natural light, making it feel like you are inside a glazed vessel that is open to the sky.
Architects: TOLO Architecture
Area: 5600 ft²
Year: 2018
Photographs: David Hartwell
Manufacturers: Dornbracht, Vitrocsa, Heath Ceramics, IB Roof Systems, Subzero/Wolf, Bartlett’s Fine Cabinetry, Gordon Fiano, Industrial Skylights, Lutron Electronics, Martin Roofing, Unico System
Principal Architect:Peter Tolkin, AIA , Jeremy Schacht, Albert Escobar
House Area:4,400 sq. ft.,
Garage Area:700 sq. ft.
Studio Area:500 sq. ft.
City:Montecito
Country:United States