Hornsby Residence - Santa Cruz, California

 West Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz is the ideal beach spot. Perfect climate. Homes face south, providing good exposure to the sun, while avoiding the prevailing westerly winds. Santa Cruz has that laid-back vibe. It's not the trendy, hipster scene of Venice or Santa Monica. Natural Bridges State Beach is just a short , flip-flop walk in one direction, while the Beach Boardwalk is just as easily reached on your cruiser bike in the other.

But when it comes to architecture, Santa Cruz comes up short. West Cliff Drive is lined from one end to the other with a full catalogue of banal home designs from the 50s and 60s. We don't need the sleek, minimalist boxes of Tadao Ando or the overly-wrought sculptural creations of Frank Gehry that are found in Southern California beach towns, but can we build something with a little more style? This study explores how this might be achieved - create architecture that is casual, relaxed, and has just a touch of quirkiness so it feels like it belongs in Santa Cruz.

Soundtrack to project: