The resulting Vault House is a smooth, pure-white rectangular block, cut through with arches, vaults and curving skylights that open up oblique and overlapping views
Though the building looks like monolithic cast concrete, it's actually synthetic stucco over a wood-frame construction. Wood was chosen over cast concrete because of cost, weight and seismic considerations
The ocean is visible from every room in the house, however far back, but the grand panorama of sand, waves and surfers practically inhabits the living room
The broad vaults, from which this house gets its name, shape the character of every room in this house. Even the ceilings are slightly curved
The inclusion of the central courtyard was a key architectural strategy. This sheltered patio, doubling as an entry court, opens the way for layered transparency and allows sunlight to penetrate deep inside
Sometimes sharp, often curved and occasionally oblique, the house's sculptural forms nearly always surprise, evoking the arched sequences of a de Chirico painting
Skylights often perforate the heavy vaults and arches, lightening the construction and brightening the interior
Although the front of the house is raised on stilts, the rear sits flat on the ground. The resulting asymmetries inspired a shifting play of interior levels around the court
A simple and stylish interior uses the house's abundance of natural light to maximum effect
A sense of layered transparency is felt throughout the house, transcending the boundaries of space often set by multiple floors
The parking garage, at the building's opposite end, had to sit directly on the ground, over walls engineered to collapse under huge-wave pressure
Special permits allowed the owners of Vault House to build six metres closer to the surf than any of their neighbours. With its vaulted underbelly, the house appears to perch lightly on the sand. But it's a lightness secured by massive underground pylons, designed to withstand high waves, wind and erosion
-
The Mini Paul Smith Edition brings the designer and the car brand together once againPaul Smith talks to Wallpaper* about colour and his new collaboration with Mini, the latest in a partnership that stretches back over a quarter of a century
-
Itinerant design fair Nomad lands in Abu Dhabi's Zayed International AirportNomad brings new life to an iconic Abu Dhabi building, marking a new point of arrival (or departure?) for collectible design in the region
-
The best luxury Christmas crackers for a banging holiday celebrationFrom sweet treats to beauty must-haves, these snappy little luxuries offer a fresh twist on tradition
-
Clad in terracotta, these new Williamsburg homes blend loft living and an organic feelThe Williamsburg homes inside 103 Grand Street, designed by Brooklyn-based architects Of Possible, bring together elegant interiors and dramatic outdoor space in a slick, stacked volume
-
This ethereal Miami residence sprouted out of a wild, jungle-like gardenA Miami couple tapped local firm Brillhart Architecture to design them a house that merged Florida vernacular, Paul Rudolph and 'too many plants to count’
-
Tour Cano House, a Los Angeles home like no other, full of colour and quirkCano House is a case study for tranquil city living, cantilevering cleverly over a steep site in LA’s Mount Washington and fusing California modernism with contemporary flair
-
An ocean-facing Montauk house is 'a coming-of-age, a celebration, a lair'A Montauk house on Hither Hills, designed by Hampton architects Oza Sabbeth, is wrapped in timber and connects its residents with the ocean
-
With a freshly expanded arts centre at Dartmouth College, Snøhetta brings levity to the Ivy LeagueThe revamped Hopkins Center for the Arts – a prototype for the Met Opera house in New York –has unveiled its gleaming new update
-
From Bauhaus to outhouse: Walter Gropius’ Massachusetts home seeks a design for a new public toiletFor years, visitors to the Gropius House had to contend with an outdoor porta loo. A new architecture competition is betting the design community is flush with solutions
-
Robert Stone’s new desert house provokes with a radical take on site-specific architectureA new desert house in Palm Springs, ‘Dreamer / Lil’ Dreamer’, perfectly exemplifies its architect’s sensibility and unconventional, conceptual approach
-
New York's iconic Breuer Building is now Sotheby's global headquarters. Here's a first lookHerzog & de Meuron implemented a ‘light touch’ in bringing this Manhattan landmark back to life
