COUGAR RIDGE HOUSE

RESIDENTIAL

Client Private
Location Santa Ynez Mountains, Santa Barabara County, California, US
Program Single family residence
Area 485 m² / 5,217 ft²
Status Commission, on-going

Foregrounding the panoramic views of the Santa Ynez Valley, the Cougar Ridge House is organized as a series of dispersed pavilions connected by an outdoor covered walkway. The 20-acre site is distinguished by the dramatic topographic slope toward the uninterrupted views to the south, east, and west. The varied aspects of the site, centered around preserving the surrounding clusters of native oak trees, determined the main organizing strategy for this single-family residence.

COVERED WALKWAY

Connecting the main house, guest house, pool cabana, and covered gazebos, is a covered walkway that weaves between the native oak groves, framing views of the distant landscape while following the natural contours of the fields and ridges of the property.

CRUCIFORM AND T-SHAPED STORAGE CORES ORGANIZED IN “MATRIX PLAN”

The main house is positioned above the central open field, framed by the surrounding covered walkway. Conceived as two separate pavilions connected by an enclosed glass walkway, the primary internal functions are distributed around three internal glass courtyards. A series of cruciform and T-shaped storage cores organized in the office’s signature “matrix plan”, create perimeter circulation while opening up the communal space to the dramatic Santa Ynez Mountain vistas. A floor to ceiling glass envelope encases the main structures, while to the north, the upper pavilions are excavated into the hillside to create privacy, thermal insulation, and a connection to a below ground wine cave and garage.

MASS TIMBER ROOF UMBRELLA CANOPIES

Mirroring the dramatic cantilevered branches of the surrounding native oaks, the roof plates are conceived as dramatic mass timber roof umbrella canopies. Constructed of cross laminated timber (CLT), the extended two-way cantilevers slope up toward the views, merging the experience of inside and outside, landscape and architecture in every direction.