Rincon House | ANACAPA Architecture

Located atop a mountain with distant views of the Channel Islands off the Santa Barbara coast, the design for this house takes a deferential attitude to the immediate landscape and the profundity​ of the panoramic views. The home is composed of a series of horizontal planes nestled into the hillside to create​ shelter while maximizing the view and exposure to the ocean and city views below. The earthen roofs​ help the structures to nearly disappear as one approaches them from above, only to slowly reveal​ themselves as a series of eroded masses nestled within the hillside.  
 
A singularly​ expressive moment marks the primary entry point of the 4,200-square-foot home, where the erosion of the masses​ is most pronounced. What remains is the soaring horizontal element, defining the entry but not​ yet giving way to interior space. ​This blurring of interior and exterior space further belies the​ conventional approach to a site with such stunning vistas. Inside, rather than immediately​ introducing the full view all at once, provocative framed views of the sky, curated courtyards, and intimate inward-looking​ gardens are provided. Ultimately, ​the grand view is revealed as one descends to the primary living space. However,​ instead of creating a disconnected view of nature so often found in contemporary designs, the​ distant​ view is complemented by the proximity to nature through an internal courtyard nestled into the​ hillside, creating a curated physical connection to the natural elements. 
 
 
ANACAPA design team 
Tony Schonhardt 
Kristin Stoyanova 
Shahab Parsa 
 
Renderings 
Places Studio