Santa Barbara’s Riviera neighborhood hugs a hillside above the heart of town; its name derives from its resemblance to the Mediterranean coast. Elevation keeps the area generally clear of the fog line, preserving breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean, Channel Islands, and mountains. Here, on a precipitous site, Patrick Tighe, FAIA, has designed the Las Alturas Residence, scheduled for completion this summer.
Inspiration came from the Case Study houses, famous for integrating house and landscape in striking ways. “One side of the house has a full panoramic ocean view, and the other side looks out to the mountains,” says Patrick. “It’s a relatively modest house for the area—just one-story and under 3,000 square feet—with a simple, open floor plan. We’re using steel as the primary building material. Inside, it’s all exposed and expressed steel beams. There’s this wonderful layering of structure.”
Materials are cool and “industrial”—poured concrete floors and walls of glass accompany the copious steel. For a touch of warmth, the steel has a color wash and ceilings are dropped over portions of the living room and kitchen.
For this site, it was just as important to pace the stunning views as it was to showcase them. So, arrival is through a compressed space and a large blue steel pivot door before revealing and opening to the living room’s sweeping panorama. A lap pool is tucked away from the view and borrows filtered sight lines of the ocean through the house.
With just two bedrooms and two baths, the house is not ambitious in size—the scope, however, is everything. Says Patrick, “The owners here wanted to be respectful of this magnificent site.” And that was the true mission of the Case Study houses.
Project Credits
Las Alturas Residence
Architect: Patrick Tighe, FAIA, Tighe Architecture, Los Angeles
Site size: 18,816 square feet
Project size: 2,500 square feet
Project Team: Patrick Tighe, Albert Chavez, Bosen Li
Rendering: Tighe Architecture