white houses Archives

US studio Inaba Williams Architects has created two mirrored houses with courtyards in Santa Monica, California that are clad in white stucco and have net-zero energy use, according to the studio.

Completed in 2023, the twin five-bedroom houses measure 3,900 square feet (362 square metres) each and are divided by a privacy wall and rectangular lap pools.

Woman running in front of white stucco house rising out of hedges — Inaba Williams Architects has completed two white-stucco-clad houses in Santa Monica

Brooklyn-based practice Inaba Williams Architects followed strategies laid out in Title 24 – California’s Building Energy Efficiency Standards – to create net-zero emissions houses “better suited to our future climate conditions”.

“Having far fewer windows, the buildings reduce heat gain and energy use, while allowing residents to enjoy indoor outdoor living,” the studio told Dezeen. “With less need for air conditioning and generous access to landscaped areas, they offer a more natural, less tempered experience with the environment.”

White stucco home with small tree and soaking pool in courtyard — The two structures are mirrors of each other and are divided by a courtyard with a privacy wall in the middle

Set on 40-foot (12-metre) wide lots, the linear homes measure only 20 feet (6 metres) at their widest, leaving plenty of space for outdoor areas on either side of the house for residents to enjoy.

Residents enter from a small courtyard on the outside street-edge corner of the lot into a rounded entryway that passes directly into the main exterior courtyard.

White stucco home with open door — The studio said the home has achieved net-zero emissions

At the northern end of the site lies a small two-storey volume that holds a media room and a private suite.

Moving deeper into the house, the living, dining and kitchen areas are collected into an open-plan space with windows and sliding doors that look onto the outdoor areas – including a dining patio – which bring daylight in from three sides.

Living room with pool seen through courtyard doors — The white of the exterior continues inside

A bedroom suite, garage, and a secluded zen garden hold the southern edge of the site.

Above, a family room and terrace sit at the top of the staircase in the centre of the plan. Two suites are located on the rear of the site, while the primary suite takes up the rest of the level with a private embedded balcony.

Bedroom with white walls and minimalist furniture — Wood flooring was used for the top floor

“The courtyards are the focal point of the side-by-side homes,” the team said. “Following the Energy Standards’ option to use glass on just 20 per cent of the exterior surface area, the limited amount of glazing is concentrated around these central outdoor areas. “

Positioned to maximize daylight, the courtyards and auxiliary areas capitalise on the coastal location’s mild climate and can be used every day.

Curved white windows — Windows were strategically placed to maximise light and limit heat gains and losses

“Similarly, taking into account the solar path, the building massings let ample sunshine into the courtyards over the day and year,” the team said.

The all-white houses have simple materials to accentuate their forms, with stucco on the exterior. White walls and terrazzo and hardwood floors feature on the interiors. The coving along the ceiling is made of glass fibre-reinforced concrete from a local vendor.

Skylight over oak staircase in white Santa Monica home — The houses were constructed under California’s Title 24 guidlines

Outside, brick pavers are set in a herringbone pattern that provides a soft geometrical detail to the smooth forms and green planted beds add color and texture.

Combined with the low glass-to-surface area building envelope, root-mounted solar panels help the homes meet California’s Zero Net Energy criteria, however hitting performance metrics wasn’t the team’s driving force.

“We think the more approaches there are to creating a sustainable future the better, and the Standards could have a cumulative climate benefit,” the studio said. “Just as the New York 1916 Zoning Resolution shaped the highrise tower type, California’s Energy Code can help shape the house type by being a framework for experimenting with its form and layout.”

“Its requirements can be guidelines to think inventively about climate-oriented design – to evolve our collective thinking about the type in a positive way.”

White walls along street of Santa Monica house — Exterior walls provide privacy for extensive outdoor space

Other recently built courtyard houses in Santa Monica include a brick house centred around a decades-old olive tree by Woods + Dangaran and a cedar- and zinc-clad L-shaped home by Walker Warner Architects.

The photography is by Brandon Shigeta.

Project credits:

Design architect: Jeffrey Inaba, Darien Williams, Sharon Leung, Nabila Morales Perez, Yasamin Mayyas, James Brillon, Andre Macias-Yanez
Executive architect and general contractor: Modative
Civil engineer: Obando and Associates
Structural engineer: Gouvis
Title 24 consultant: Title 24 Guys
Landscape architect: Studio H2O

Reference

Spanish studio Fran Silvestre Arquitectos has created a minimalist white house in Alicante, which winds through the landscape to enhance its relationship with the outdoors.

Named Sabater House, the Spanish dwelling unfolds through a series of intersecting, elongated forms that ascend upwards over its 780-square-metre site.

Its slim volumes adapt to the site’s natural topography, navigating existing large trees and framing a series of terraces and courtyards.

Aerial view of Sabater House by Fran Silvestre Arquitectos — Fran Silvestre Arquitectos has created a minimalist white house in Alicante

According to Fran Silvestre Arquitectos, the sprawling design takes cues from local pathways that are carved into the terrain and lead to a hermitage.

“We were struck by how these winding paths adapt to the terrain, generating a very interesting architecture,” Fran Silvestre Arquitectos told Dezeen.

“This was the starting point to develop a home on a plot with similar characteristics in terms of width and slope of the land.”

Facade of Sabater House by Fran Silvestre Arquitectos — Sabater House winds through the landscape

Sabater House is designed for a client who wanted a home to accommodate his large family while ensuring “enough independence to guarantee the privacy of all family members”.

To accomplish this, each floor of the home features a distinct programme.

Aerial view of white home in Alicante — Each floor of the home features a distinct programme

The highest level, described as the “nighttime area” of the home, features five bedrooms and bathrooms oriented to look out to the sea above the tree line.

Meanwhile, the middle floors contain an open-plan kitchen, dining and living area with floor-to-ceiling windows framing views out to the garden and outdoor swimming pool.

Exterior of white house in Spain by Fran Silvestre Arquitectos — The house winds around existing trees

The living spaces are stretched across the long and narrow floor plan in a bid to avoid compacting them and open them up to the outdoors.

“The project is drawn with a very clear geometry of straight elements that are joined by a soft radius of curvature,” said the studio. “Each piece has a relationship with the environment.”

Accommodated on the lower level are the pool basin, a wine cellar, storage facilities and additional sleeping quarters.

With each floor stacked at an angle to create a zigzagging floor plan, a series of courtyards, terraces and bridges are created, further opening the relationship with the outdoors.

All-white interior of Spanish house — The middle floor features open-plan living spaces

“Something unexpected about the house for us is the character of the interstitial spaces between the blocks and how they envelop you,” explained Fran Silvestre Arquitectos.

“The first acts as an access garden that directs you towards the entrance door, and the second as one of the main terraces. They are versatile spaces that allow you to make the most of the different orientations.”

Bedroom of Sabater House in Alicante — The top level contains the bedrooms

Fran Silvestre Arquitectos was founded in 2005 by architect Fran Silvestre. The studio is known for its minimalist style, which is applied throughout Sabater House.

Its previous projects that feature its signature pared-back style include an overhanging Hollywood Home and a residence with a T-shaped roof in Valencia.

The photography is by Fernando Guerra.

Reference

white houses

Inaba Williams creates mirrored stucco-clad residences in California

Fran Silvestre Arquitectos references pathways for Sabater House in Spain

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