Los Angeles architect François Perrin of Air Architecture has recently completed this guest house for a Buddhism expert in Brentwood, California.
The polycarbonate-clad timber house, set beside an existing home, houses the owner’s collection of Buddhist paraphernalia and will host visiting scholars.
The building aims to be self-sufficient in energy, once photovoltaic panels and wind turbines are installed.
Photos are by Joshua White. Here’s some text from Perrin:
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This is a guest house for an anthropologist to store the collection he gathered during 20 years in Asia and host visiting Buddhist scholars. Similar structures will be build in Taiwan and Sri Lanka.
The structure is a wood frame (the common construction type in California) clad with a clear polycarbonate skin. The clear plastic skin creates an optical illusion with the sunlight that makes the project disappear at some times like a mirage and thus creates a minimal impact to the existing house and neighborhood.
The project is using an “air” insulation, which is a void in between the wood frame and the translucent skin that protects the interior (the anthropologist’s collection) from the cold and the heat. The project is also using cross ventilation from the specific position of the opening and the operable skylight on the roof to cool down the building in extreme summer heat, catching the ocean’s breeze in the afternoon through the operable skylight.
Regarding the energy, the project uses solar panels on the roof and plans to add some wind turbines to be fully off the grid as this is a prototype for an habitat that the client will build in Sri Lanka and Taiwan.
The materials for these projects will be different as the Brentwood project was built out of local material (redwood) and using a technique (wood framing) that are both specific to California.
Posted by Rupinder Bhogal
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Posted by Marcus Fairs
January 10th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
it´s reminds me of a house build by florian nagler, http://www.designboom.com/snapshots/venice04/countries/g8.jpg
January 10th, 2008 at 10:42 pm
couldn’t any contractor frame up something like this in a couple of days, no plans needed?
not to belittle the architect, other projects on his website look much more interesting.
January 10th, 2008 at 11:36 pm
I love this. I’ve always had a fascination with buildings during their construction phase, when you can see structure laid bare, sans walls etc.
January 10th, 2008 at 11:46 pm
personally, i don’t like the aesthetics of this house. but had a chance to chat w/ François in the past and he was a friendly and helpful guy.
January 11th, 2008 at 3:58 am
Andrew… I insist… Read… The house is already finished… This is the main problem with architects nowadays, they only see but they never read.
If i had some mistakes, I will ask for your forgiveness, english is not my maternal languaje.
January 11th, 2008 at 5:11 am
whoahh yeah.
Cool concept. Little budget, big results.
January 11th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
Fran, sorry if my reply sounded like I thought the house was incomplete. I do know that it’s finished, and as I love buildings under construction, to “leave” it at that stage, and just cover it with polycarbonate, i think, makes for a great result. I love when you see a structure that’s finished, but still visible are its “nuts and bolts” so to speak, what’s keeping it together.
Sorry again for the misunderstanding!
January 11th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
fran got pwned! Don’t worry Andrew, I was able to correctly read what you wrote.
January 11th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
so, this is an office not quite the house right? Too woody if you ask me. Reminds me the Ingale’s little house on the prairie.
Get some more comfy furniture. it’ll soften the lines i think.
January 11th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
The only way this structure could get a permit is as an unheated pavillion due to energy code requirements. “Air” insulation does not meet the code for the simple reason that it doesn’t work. I would expect the wall cavities to fill with condensation and eventually mold. More crap from dezeen.
January 11th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
Très joli!
January 11th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Somehow the buiding feels like it´s not finished… there is not a visible conecction with what is inside… I´m not sure if I like it or not….
January 13th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
This is only a curiosity…
January 14th, 2008 at 8:16 am
floyd,
it is in California dude,
likely in a part that does not require heating.
Sunshine will take care of any moisture . . .
January 14th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
California exactly… “air insulation”
Give me a break…and bare (porous) ply provided how much protection against moisture buildup in the walls? (as mentioned: floyd landis)
January 14th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
I like it because it reminds me of a fort or treehouse, and it’s a low budget project. Though I agree that I would add some more traditional comfy furniture to contrast the shed like finish and soften the lines (K. Rimane) Also, I believe that the wall system is vented, therefore acting like a trombe wall. So, in that case I wouldn’t be too worried about the condensation and mold issue. (floyd landis) but I agree that there would def be a code issue. My one main criticism is the brutal nature in which it connects to the adjacent structure…
January 14th, 2008 at 11:49 pm
I think they are pushing it with the “air” insulation. I’m not familiar with the climate there, but polycarbonate has a nasty habit of getting dirt, water, etc. into its cells. Depending on what they did at the joints, they may start to stain, as well as all the stuff mentioned before my post with condensation, etc. I understand the budget was tight, but I would think a better way to do it would be with a fastener-free standing seam polycaronate system and fill it with nanogel. It would probably make it translucent instead of transparant, but at least it would have a insulation instead of “air”
January 19th, 2008 at 10:15 am
I am the anthropologist referred to concerning the project. When my father passed away, my mother received some funds and decided to construct a work place for her son. Features of the space unfolded through discussion with Francois Perrin. The project is for 18 ft high color-coded shelves against a wall and wraps across to a loft. Materials from Taiwan, India, Sri Lanka, China, and the Pacific are arranged to catalog for studies related to the electronic cultural atlas initiative (ecai.org).
In terms of the interior - exterior situation, this research space from last summer to this winter remains very comfortable without heater or air conditioner. It uses a minimum of electricity powering a light bulb and Internet service. No mold, just dry. The exterior reflects UV light, and allows soft warmth in. In summer the two roof skylights open for circulating air. The structure is about two miles from the ocean providing a constant breeze.
It’s a good place to work.
April 28th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Ever hear of insulation in California? The sun is hot . This should be called Hot Box…..