Robin Evans’s concept of Mies’s paradoxical symmetries informs the design, as views are mirrored horizontally across and vertically about the horizon to register the project with its natural context. Oblique ocean and sky views framed by low-e insulated multi-slide doors and large mirrors placed strategically throughout the project work to amplify these symmetries and reference the Light and Space art of Southern California. The project transitions sectionally from the typology of a traditional ranch house at the entry into a series of geometric viewing frames on the south facades. The bisected ranch house gable roof, which appears to be cantilevered, is suspended by a hidden steel roof structure supported by a visible 57-foot clear span truss that allows for spatial continuity between interior and pool deck. The sand-finished concrete floor, an abstract beach at low tide, reveals the project’s unusual saw-cut grid reconciling the existing house's orientations with the east-west pool axis.


Horizon House 2 was designed for programmatic flexibility and environmental resilience in an uncertain future of post-pandemic work from home and climate change, and includes a pool-supplied exterior fire sprinkler system and protected mechanical room that doubles as a belvedere for surveying the horizon before descending into the architectural promenade. Each architectural element serves multiple uses, and each space frames a connection to the horizon. The bedrooms separate the open living spaces from semi-private courtyards allowing for events while in residence. Varied ceiling heights in the flexible open living space facilitates varied classical music performances and live recordings.