Discrete connection – San Bernardino
This family residence and accompanying pool house were envisioned as an escape cradled within the foothills of the San Bernardino National Forest US. Designed by Walker Workshop the design uses a series of thickened walls which run east-west along the shape of the dramatic mountain site to establish discrete programmatic spaces and to protect the interiors from the sun. Each resulting space affirms its connection to the surrounding hillside, extending to outdoor living areas and into the landscape beyond, while the thickened walls demarcate successively more private areas of the house.
The main residence features a three-car garage, three bedrooms, four bathrooms, and a fluid living, dining, and kitchen space with sliding glass doors opening onto the pool to the east and the valley sunset to the west and anchored by an indoor-outdoor fireplace. A simple palette of grey plaster and cast-in-place concrete joined with natural materials and minimal landscaping blends softly into the surrounding chaparral and the colours of the desert sky.