A concrete armature, evoking the giant bleached whale bones along the shore, was created for this urban beach house to raise the living space of the house above the adjacent heavily trafficked beach walk.  The tapering black granite “runway” and sloping ceiling set up a “reverse perspective” within the house creating the illusion that the viewer is closer to the ocean.  A black granite reflecting pool separates the house from the walkway, becomes an urban offering that invites passersby to reach out and touch the water and acts as a “water to water” bridge between the house and the Pacific Ocean.   

If the house were a giant telescope that could see across oceans and around the curvature of the earth then owners gaze would fall on the island of Japan. A giant pivot window framed pays homage to this view with a Japanese Red frame.  The window pivots open to form a 13-foot-high aperture towards the ocean.  The pivoting window is flanked by a vertical glass clock, a slit of glass cast in a thick concrete wall, conducting a beam of light into the house.  The movement of the beam allows the owners to tell time by the movement of the sun. Stairs ascend from the main level though the bedrooms to a roof terrace with a sky amphitheater offering guests views in all directions to beach, ocean, city lights, LAX flight paths as well as the lush green hills of Palos Verdes and Malibu.

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