Project Data:

Completion Date:     8/8/2021

Square Footage:      3100

Building Use:           SIngle Family Residential

Project Description:

Nestled in a cul-de-sac overlooking a private golf course, The Courtyard House was borne out of a growing set of needs that the homeowner was trying to solve with the previous two-story residence. With plans to age-in-place, an extensive collection of fine art, and recognizing that the renovation budget was quickly approaching the cost of a new build, it became apparent that a fresh start was in order.

Located on largest lot in the neighborhood in credit to an abandoned oil well easement, with access to panoramic golf course views, coastal breezes, tree lined sunsets, and an idyllic climate, the design of this home beckoned to blur the lines between indoor and outdoor living while maintaining a sense of seclusion and privacy from the outside world.

Inspired by vernacular courtyard architecture, the floor plan is organized in a manner surrounding the central outdoor hub. The front door to the home immediately transports the occupant to an experience of awe and delight. Every major function in the home has access to layered and curated views. Primary views towards the golf course use the architecture to frame scenes of mature trees and fairways. Meanwhile intimate moments are created focusing on near range subjects such as art, sculptures, private gardens, or the beautiful Japanese maple tree planted at the heart of the courtyard.

The floor plan was designed to accommodate an owner whose life will evolve in the coming decades. Designed to be accessible with seamless elevation changes and wide corridors allows for long term mobility from the garage to the entire home. The home can also be strategically partitioned via a hidden pocket door in the Gallery/Hall which will allow for long-term family stays or live-in nursing care to live with a mutual sense of privacy and adjacency.

Thermal comfort was one of the driving factors while maintaining an open/airy feel. A radiant heat floor slab was integrated with 5 zones which activate as needed to maintain occupant comfort while eliminating the need for forced air heating. Passive cooling strategies include exaggerated eaves to protect from solar heat gain and carefully placed operable fenestrations make use of the prevailing coastal winds. The central courtyard with integrated shade and water features encourages evaporative cooling further creating a micro-climate and respite even on the hottest summer days.

Ultimately, we wanted to create a home that can engage and activate with its context in a variety of ways. The Courtyard, Great Room, and California Room can be combined into one blurring the line between indoor and outdoor space. Conversely, the home can open itself exclusively to the courtyard creating a private retreat maintaining an intimate connection with the outdoors and conserving privacy on all sides.

The home is all about creating moments and opportunities for serenity. Conceived as place that is as much a work of art as the art it supports and that you always have something to discover no matter where you are is what makes this home so special.

Firm Name:              Mathew McGrane

Completion Date:     8/8/2021

Square Footage:      3100

Building Use:           SIngle Family Residential

Location:                 Huntington Beach, CA

Project Description:
- Design for Integration is paramount to this project. With emphasis on views while maintaining privacy, and long-term adaptability to changing lifestyles, the integrated approach informed a concept that allows the building to function and adapt to the evolution of life with a focus on longevity, and sustainability.

Informed by the natural climatic forces such as prevailing winds and the solar path, further supported by the surrounding context led the design of a house organized around a central courtyard which is the heart of this home.



- Design for Water is achieved through a variety of onsite water management strategies informed largely by the lessons learned from the previous structure. The first step taken was to ensure proper hydrology which included raising the grade of the house by approximately 30” in order to separate itself from the high water table of the golf course.

Furthermore, all rainwater that falls onto the roof is diverted to an onsite infiltration gravel pit. Whereas water that falls on hardscape surfaces is quickly directed into planter beds and swales throughout the property to ensure proper rehydration of the water table and avoidance of any storm drain discharge.

The use of potable water is conserved through the integration of high-performance plumbing fixtures, and low maintenance landscapes.



- Design for Energy is integral the vernacular courtyard approach. In a home where the glazing percentage is a staggering 45% with a large portion of the fenestration facing due west, it took careful consideration of the natural forces to ensure that this home performs with its environment rather than against it.

The solar path and prevailing coastal winds informed the design in a way that would allow the home to passively thermal regulate itself throughout the year. With the integration of a hydronic radiant floor slab to regulate the temperature in the cooler months and a central courtyard that has its own thermal regulation strategy, the resulting home is a very high efficiency structure.

Having access to an abundance of natural light throughout the home ensures that no artificial lighting is required and that the occupant’s connection to circadian rhythm is always intact.



- Design for Well-being is achieved on a myriad of layers. The parti is organized around a central outdoor space that promotes a sense of connection to nature while maintaining a promise of privacy and meditative bliss.

Natural daylight is integrated into every room of the house through the employment windows, operable glass walls, and skylights all designed to flood that home with natural light and provide a connection to nature, all while playing a pivotal role in the passive ventilation strategies employed.

Indoor air quality is maintained through a careful selection of surface materials, limited use of forced air mechanical systems encouraging the passage of coastal breezes, while also being able to firmly seal itself with a high-performance envelope when the outdoor air quality is bad.



- Designing for Change is one of the main principals behind the layout of the home. With an understanding of how COVID has changed the day-to-day life of so many families and the expanded use of home into new categories such as classrooms, places of work, and in the worst case, a place of retreat from an ever-changing world, the design of primary and secondary spaces can be either be left open to maintain an uninterrupted space or partitioned into break away spaces that create separation of activity when required.

Furthermore, with the incorporation of the more recent changes in ADU regulations in California, and the plan to be able to welcome long-term guests or live-in nurse care in a connected but separate space was important. With a separate carport, outdoor living spaces, and even a kitchenette all partitioned by an inconspicuous oversized pocket door in the gallery grants the ability to split the home into two at a moment’s notice.

Design Architect:
Mathew McGrane LEED AP / Laboratory for Sustainable Design

Associate Architect or Firm:

Landscape Architect:
Jimmy Iida / Hawaiian Landscape

Owner / Developer:
Ann N. Chlebicki Ed.D

Engineer:
Structural/Civil Engineer: Soheil Moeini / Greystone Engineering
Soils/Geology: C.Y. Geotech
Methane Investigation: FREY Environmental, Inc.
Surveyor: Apex Land Surveying, Inc
Energy/Title 24: Title 24 Guys

General Contractor:
Joe Kramer / J. Kramer Corp.

Consultant:
Staging: Haus of Design / Haus of Stagers

Photographer:
Chad Mellon / Mellon Studio