I can’t remember where I saw this image first, but it strikes me !
The simple elevated cube with the warm golden hue set in contrast with the blue light of winter in the Northwest.
The Delta Shelter would have made Le Corbusier proud. The early modernist’s 5 points of architecture:
Elevate by support of pilotis (steel in this case)
Free the facade – meaning the structural support allows a free form interior
Open floor plan
Unencumbered views – structure allows continuous bands of windows
Roof garden – maybe they didn’t cut it here !
Even though it doesn’t look like they accomplished Point 5 – Le Corbusier certainly would have found great interest in his idea of the home as “a machine for living.” One can see the old master trying his hand at the giant wheel that closes all of the four giant shutters of the house. [click to continue…]
What you see in the video above is a new custom home we built in Ojai, California. The home, which has many special environmental features, is built on a concrete slab which is both the structural foundation of the home as well as the finish floor. The concrete is integrally colored, meaning we add pigment and mix it in the concrete, rather than add a stain or paint on top of the concrete. This particular rich chocolatey color actually lightens up quite a bit as the concrete cures.
The Finish
It’s crucial to have enough skilled concrete finishers on the job. When concrete goes off (hardens) the troweling has to be done at just the right time. By scoring the concrete in just the right places and by trowelling the concrete smooth the end result is a luxurious finish floor. And the thick mass of the concrete keeps the house cool in the summer and with the radiant tubing – warm in the winter.
Its a hazy day in Ojai and a perfect 72 degrees for pouring the 2nd floor walls of this custom ICF home. ICF – or insulated concrete forms – have been used for many years but due to our lovely climate, they haven’t been that popular in Southern California. But ! they make sense for [...]
By Otis Bradley The art of timber framing, also called “Post and Beam” or “Mortice and Tenon,” is still alive! In today’s world of industrialized manufacturing, most builders have never touched anything other than dimensional lumber (meaning 2×4′s- which actually measure 1 1/2″ x 3 1/2″ – go figure!). But long before factories spit [...]
Ventana Magazine click here for web site Contemporary Cool The Ojai abode of green builder Otis Bradley. By Andrea Kitay—Photography by Gaszton Gal The exposed structural steel and beams are painted in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Cherokee Red. Casa Verde, the two-acre Ojai spread that Otis Bradley and his family call home, is more than [...]
by Otis Bradley Beautiful clay tile roofs are part of the history of California as well as much of Europe. In fact clay roof tiles date back thousands of years in China before spreading through Asia and to the Greeks and Romans. Clay tiles come in many shapes and forms: Barrel tile or two piece [...]
By Otis Bradley Do you live in a “typical” American home? Or do you want something different. Looking at alternative ways to build your home? Most homes – over 90% – according to a recent NAHB (National Association of Home Builders) are stick built – meaning out of 2 x 4′s. As a custom home [...]
by Otis Bradley Have you seen this stuff ? Like Lego blocks – stack em up and fill em with concrete. What you get is a house that is super insulated – super strong – resistant to insects, fires and extremely quiet. And a beautiful house [...]
