The alterations and additions to the Monterez Bungalow presented us with a few challenges to tackle up front. Located on a steep slope facing an impressive view over the golf course, the house was built over inadequate foundation, with weak retaining support. Secondly, 60% of the elevation of the house was covered in garish volcanic lava rock cladding with plaster walls in yellow.
Its saving grace fortunately, was the interesting existing layout considering the stunning views this site presents over the golf course.
The previous owners with their original architect had the foresight to cleverly plan their living, kitchen and dining areas on the top floor and located their private bedrooms and study on the ground floor. We have maintained that layout for the alteration works as we felt the configurationworked remarkably well within its current context despite its sheer scale.
The main design alteration to the house was to remove the central existing staircase that was built in the atrium lobby that we felt hindered the main entrance’s natural flow of space.
We relocated the staircase where the existing angled main entrance was thusfreeing the new lobby into the house and highlighted the new dramatic entrance with a concrete sky light and chandelier that is suspended over the ground floor lobby and bring much needed natural light into the space below. The new concrete- finned cantilevered staircase serves as one of the features circulation of the house. We also removed a bedroom on the ground floor to allow the client to access the pool front through a private living and pantry that serves the four bedrooms that reside on the ground floor as this provided for better space planning and circulation for the house.
It’s new brutal facade serves to reinstate and elevate its original formidity through the improved spatial configuration.