Minimalist Wildland Sanctuary

This unique 44-acre Upper Ojai property sits in the Topatopa foothills along spring fed, year-round Bear Creek as it winds its way south. Approached by a sinuous gravel drive, the residential compound is hidden from the road. The house, guesthouse, pool and terraces are enfolded in the crook of a dramatic eastern ridge that provides unparalleled privacy, yet affords views of the Topatopa Mountains, the Upper Valley and Sulphur Mountain.

The architect owners designed the linear 2,700 sf house as a serene, airy, modernist structure open to the sweeping beauty of its landscape setting. Surrounded by a gravel precinct set amidst lichened rocks, oaks, black walnuts and the foundational shrubs of the chaparral, it includes three bedrooms and two baths. The cathedral ceilinged living, dining, and kitchen areas flow into one another via broad passageways that flank towering walls establishing the integrity of each space.

The 900 sf guesthouse/studio is designed in a similar manner providing two generous studio spaces, or it can function as a full guesthouse which includes an efficiency kitchen and a three-quarter bath. The property is all-electric and is powered by a grid-tied 5kw photo-voltaic installation backed up by a battery storage system that provides off-the-grid capability.

The structures sit on two terraced levels on a gentle south-facing slope. The house and pool occupy the upper terrace which faces an upslope to the north leading the eye to the Topatopa mountains beyond. To the east, is a rocky knoll which is wooded with mature oaks, and to the west, a walnut, toyon and holly-leafed cherry covered spine which visually separates the property’s two twenty-plus acre parcels. The linear garage and guesthouse/studio building sits on the lower terrace at right angles to the house above. The terraces are linked by an inclined meadow which is covered by a succession of native flora which change according to the season. The driveway curves around the western flank of this slope to provide auto-access to the upper terrace.

The simplicity of this arrangement reflects the relationship that traditional Japanese architecture establishes between dwellings and the landscape. The dramatically varied topography of this site is entirely within the Ventura County Wildlife Corridor, and contains examples of all of its iconic habitats: chaparral, oak meadowland, coastal sage scrub and riparian corridors dotted with oaks, sycamores, alders and willows.

Mindful of the heat of summer and of the wildfire hazard, the house features shallow covered porches, of loggias, that open to the north and south and shade the fully glazed walls of the Living Room, Kitchen and Principal Bedroom.  They are a muted reference to the Japanese engawa, or transition space between inside and out.  These loggias can be sealed off by steel barn doors when there is the threat of fire, and in combination with the standing seam metal roof create a fire-resistant hard shell for the entire building. Similarly, ipe framed barn doors with perforated steel infill provide sun control and fire protection to the 16’wide glazed wall sections of the guesthouse/studio.  The glazed wall to the south is protected with a roll-down perforated steel door.

The compound offers a richly modulated experience that has been designed to offer serenity, utility and permanence. Attention has been paid to the long-term sustainability of the buildings with regard to wildfire, flood, and energy use. Their integration into the indigenous landscape provides shelter and amenity within this beautiful wildland sanctuary.