Reyes Residence
Location: Oakland, California
Owners: Vince and Remy Reyes
Date: 1991 to 1993 (Design and Construction)
Cost: $44,000
Square Footage: Approximately 700 square feet
Owner Requirements: Convert the ground floor to accommodate a single bedroom, bathroom, office/study, photo gallery, storage areas, and an exterior solarium recreation room. Include a stairway up to the second level (main entrance level).
The structure is the first instance of creating a “living” architecture or what we call an Evolutionary Architecture at TDR. That is, using nature as a basis for design and producing buildings that contain working and moving parts as significant features that respond to environmental, technological, and programmatic requirements. With the introduction of buildings that move, architecture is better able to respond to the changing requirements that are put upon it–like a living organism. Architecture is no longer a static machine. This new sense of structure and order is a natural evolution that will take us into the 21st century. Gone is the heavy-handed and dark roof structure. Gone is the box-like rigidity and confining implications of rectilinearity.
Professional cost estimators and contractors bid on the project with square foot costs in the $150 to $250 range. Some estimators could not give a cost to the design. These bids were beyond the budget of the owners therefore a team of intern architects at Tssui design and Research, Inc., organized to construct the design. In total the construction required eleven months of labor and the involvement of of twenty-six skilled and unskilled laborers.
Interior
Living Room: Opening and closing “wing” structure
View from office
View into office
A great deal of experimentation was involved in the construction. New kinds of materials had to be found and new application techniques were created. For instance, a fire-resistant plaster material called “Structolite” was applied as an interior sculptural finish over one-inch diameter “truckers rope” to create the undulating wall treatments. Under normal circumstances the sculptural details would have to be custom plastered. We created a simple, economical procedure that eliminated costly hand-forming. Innovative applications were created almost weekly with great success. The greatest challenge throughout the construction was to keep up the spirit of daring and imagination without succumbing to conventional means and results. Specifically, the interior contains a master bedroom, two walk-in closets, a hall photo gallery, an office/workspace, a bathroom and three large storage areas. A carpeted stairway leads to the upper floor. The gallery culminates at the solarium recreation room half circle in plan. This glass, wood, and stone structure is shaped like a truncated cone with an unusual wing-like roof with hinged fiberglass “dragonfly wing” structures that open and close with a turn of the crank. This opening roof feature allows cool breezes and sunlight to enter the room directly and maintains an even and comfortable temperature range throughout the year. Experientially, the intention of this design is to let the viewer directly observe the changing qualities of light and to be sentiently aware of the movement of clouds, the sun and moon and the presence of stars.
All walls, floors and ceilings were designed to be continuous–to convey a sense of unity and repose and to let the spaces seem expansive. With this curvilinear quality of unity the eye is carried around the space; there are no visual planes and corners to cut and butt up against one another. All is a harmonious play of soft light. Ornament becomes an integral feature of the structure. The continuous curves of the shelves, suspended on thin steel cables, are well suited to children for there are no sharp angles to fall on or bump into. Tables and walls gracefully accommodate the natural flow of circulation. Floors are radiantly heated by recycled hot water running near the surface of the concrete slab. All rooms are comfortable and evenly heated. The natural colors of deep red, natural wood and white gives the whole a countenance of quiet dignity. All aspects of the construction are custom crafted with close supervision and participation by the architect and much of the work was done without experienced labor. Many of the details were drawn in actual size on-site by the architect. Curvilinear characteristics have a deeper value than mere appearance. Curved forms are able to support themselves and resist forces much more efficiently than flat and angular surfaces. Curved surfaces use 1/3 less materials per given volume than rectilinear forms. The solarium is conical in shape–one of the strongest shapes in nature–and can resist shaking. It is also a very stable form as the base is greater in area than its upper portion. The conical form is also very efficient in cooling because the hot air rises and is funneled quickly out of the space.
All heating and cooling is passive. Even small details such as the steel cable tension wires holding the shelves and tables were designed to address earthquake forces quickly by allowing the shelves to “float” and flex during shaking. Using these steel cables provided a tremendous cost savings. The cable hardware cost about $150.00 total. Compare this with the cost of $1000.00+ for typical labor and materials. The cables were in-place within half a day as compared with two to three days for a skilled carpenter. By inventiveness and resourcefulness it is estimated that the cost savings to the owner was nearly $96,000.00 based on bid costs by other contractors.
Wings
Daytime view-from the inside looking through the wings with their hemispherical bubble dome skylights..
Detail view-of the connection between the overhead wings and the custom formed Polygal structural translucent acrylic wall.
