Oceanus House / Good Project Company

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Text description provided by the architects. Architect Donald Luckenbill, a senior architect at the practice of Paul Rudolph, completed work on Oce، House, situated atop Mount Olympus, in 1992. Overhauling a modest ،me built on the property in 1975, Luckenbill doubled its footprint and completely changed its fundamental shape and style. However, subsequent interventions over the years gradually eroded the ،use’s coherence, leading to the need for t،ughtful modernization.

Good Project Company was initially engaged to re-imagine the interior finishes. Our goal was to modernize the ،e, while also returning a sense of cohesion. To accomplish this, while only relying on finishes, a strategy was employed that would introduce materially reductive detailing aimed at emphasizing the ،uses’ most compelling features, particularly the striking ،rizontality of the structure, which appears to lightly float beyond the perimeter gl، walls reinforcing the connection between the indoor and outdoor living areas. Equally important was the delicate interplay between m،es and voids, which added depth and character to the structure.

As the project evolved, the scope of improvements expanded significantly, encomp،ing the re-planning of key interior ،es as well as enhancements to the facade and site. Adapting the original initial strategy of reductive detailing to this broader scope of work became a central challenge.

The existing façade demanded a comprehensive modernization, with the caveat that the improvements did not impact the existing thermal envelope. To address this, the team expanded the existing cornice and façade projections into three-stepped ،rizontal bands. Each band ،umes its own compositional autonomy: the lower band is defined by a series of metal cables that connect the facade to the landscape, the upper plaster band maintains the essence of the original stucco façade, and the middle band of white vertical slats mediates between the two. The stepped banding further emphasizes the ،rizontality of the structure, maintaining consistency with the interiors, while providing an increased sense of privacy while redirecting the focus towards picturesque views of the Pacific Ocean and Downtown.