Malibu 5

Floor-to-ceiling glass creates views through living room to the ocean.

Project Details

• Project Name: Malibu 5
• Client: Georgia Goldfarb and Walter Zelman
• Project Type: Architectural design
• Principal Designer: Stephen H. Kanner,
• Design Team: Stephen H. Kanner, Damian Le Mons, David Ellien and John Mebasser
• Year of commencement of project: 2003
• Year of completion of project: 2006
• Location of site: California, USA
• Built up Area: 3300 square feet
• Cost of Construction: USD 1,300,000

East elevation and driveway approach.

The Building

Vertically stacked and set into a hillside, Malibu 5 is a sustainable modern home constructed of environmentally-friendly and recycled materials and designed to minimize energy consumption.

The building faces the Pacific Ocean to take advantage of coastal breezes, energy-providing solar gain, natural light and views.

Conceived as a passive solar house, the building has photovoltaic panels and solar thermal panels for domestic hot water on the roof. The photovoltaic panels generate power for the house during the day.

The amount of energy produced exceeds the owner's need and the remainder contributes to the local power grid. The power meter runs counter-clockwise while the sun is up.

Ground-level concrete floors act as heat sinks, pulling in the Sun's energy during the day and releasing it at night. They also provide radiant heating, making use of water heated on the roof.

South elevation at dawn.

Built as two, C-shaped rectangular bars -- one two storeys high and the other a single storey over the garage -- the house comprises of four bedrooms and three bathrooms.

The spaces are separated by a courtyard that provides an opening for ocean breeze to cool the house.

All rooms open on at least two sides to provide cross-ventilation.

Large solar-protected windows with double paned glass, low-E and filled with hermetically sealed air, protect against the cold and heat. Shade is provided by overhangs from balconies.

The large expanses of glass produce light-filled rooms and minimize the need for artificial lighting, which is controlled with motion sensor light switches.

The inexpensive scratched-plaster exterior is painted an earthy terra cotta color to provide a natural texture that smoothes the house's introduction to its environment. The color is inspired by the hue of an African soil the architect found in West Africa.

Interlocking volumes enclosed with glass maximize views of the Santa Monica Mountains and Pacific Ocean.

The green areas of the house are populated mainly with drought-resistant foliage indigenous to California.

Rocks removed to prepare the site for construction have been recycled in walls, paths and xeriscape.

Recycled water is used for drip irrigation to a limited degree.

Credits

• Text: Courtesy of the architect
• Photographs by Benny Chan, Courtesy of the architect
• Compiled and edited by Varun Ajani