Montecito Debris Flow Rebuild

Location Montecito, CA | Completion Date estimated Fall 2020

This proposal replaces two accessory structures destroyed in the 2018 Santa Barbara debris flow. This project poses the unique design challenge of creating safe, accessible buildings in a flood plain, required to be both several feet above grade and still beneath the maximum building height. The design solution incorporates a floating deck that terraces up to the elevated floor level while also playing host to several exterior dining and gathering functions. Lush landscaping and strategic retaining walls protect occupied spaces and simultaneously softens the effect of the raised architecture that would otherwise be prominent to the residents of the main house.