Coral Cove | Silver Award

Coral Cove, Silver Award, On the Boards

Site: Costa Mesa, Calif.
Entrant/Architect/Designer: Brandon Architects
Builder: Patterson Custom Homes
Interior Designer: Dawson Design Group
Size: 10,760 sf
Hard cost, excluding land: $450/sf

With Headlands Park, a nature preserve, nearby, this modern home is designed with natural materials that blend into its coastal surroundings. Experts in rammed-earth construction will use material from the site to create the walls and foundation that mirror the coloring and striation of the soil in the neighborhood. “There is a cost premium, but they create a unique look,” says Christopher Brandon, principal of Brandon Architects. “They are more artists than subcontractors.”

Ample windows and doors will bring daylight into the basement level, while the form and positioning of the home provides ocean views from multiple angles. From the street, the low horizontal massing complements the landscape, and matte metal paneling ensures privacy. A large overhang shields the back patio from blazing sun. The rammed-earth walls will provide a thermal mass that moderates outdoor temperature fluctuations, and sustainability will be further bolstered by evaporative cooling, rainwater harvesting, and rooftop PVs.

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