Angeleno Associates 

California Pacific Homes

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The objective was to design unconventional on-campus faculty housing, unlike a typical institutional building, and to emphasize the scale and qualities of a residential Spanish village with coastal vernacular.  Seamlessly integrated into the surrounding typography, the campus paseos meander, providing easy pedestrian access through interesting courtyards and walkways, ultimately leading to the community pool and recreation center.  Single story building edges undulate along pedestrian pathways to achieve human scale, while second and third story massing are thoughtfully set back in playful juxtaposition. 

Privacy is emphasized in these attached homes.  All units have no more than one common fire-rated wall and no common walls at the third floor.  Along that wall, only utility based rooms such as closets, stairs and bathrooms are positioned, freeing up the outside walls for bedrooms.  Units are never stacked above another living space.  These 8-plexes live like duplexes, in that all units have light on three to four sides.  Windows are offset to avoid unwanted viewing from neighbors.  Yin/Yang positioning of decks provide additional privacy between units.

Understated authentic Spanish detailing, used with restraint, emphasizes good massing for play on light and shadow. Roofs are solved for minimal span and no valleys for cost effectiveness.  A very utilitarian maintenance building has become the jewel of the community, perfectly positioned on street axis, blending into its surrounding vernacular.

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Photography By Eric Figge