Asilomar Dune House

Model view from the North

The expanded house: three buildings connected by enclosed “boardwalks”.

Beach House. The exterior is restored and remodeled internally into a two-bedroom wing with intimate ﬁreside area for family or guests.

Gathering House. Positioned on higher ground for views, it has a new entry, two stories of living space, dining room, kitchen, ocean view (roof) deck and courtyard.

West Wing. A two-‐story element contains two bedrooms and a lower ﬂoor that may serve as oﬃce and playroom.

Garage. This structure is embedded into the dune to minimize its visibility and impacts on views from living spaces and on the adjacent property.

Left. The rooftop deck. Dramatic ocean views from this level also overlooks a walled courtyard protected from ocean breezes.

A fragile coastal environment is the setting and challenge for the creation of this ocean view estate property with restored habitat and a 90 year‐old beach house.

Working with a ramshackle house, amidst sensitive dune habitat, HOOD assembled a team of experienced, local professionals – biologist, arborist, historian, archeologist, geotechnical engineer, and the noted firm Bernard Trainor Landscape Architects – to collaborate on the painstaking task of assessing the site and defining a building envelope. The resulting design incorporates site restoration and additions to the beach house, addressing stringent zoning and coastal development standards and meeting the owner’s needs for a large residence. Fundamentally, the project presents a way to build responsibly in the coastal zone and restore dune habitat.

The Site

The three acre parcel is environmentally sensitive habitat (ESHA). The landscape architect, biologist and arborist were responsible for documenting and assessing the property to define a building envelope with the architect. Within that defined area, HOOD designed a building that connects to and and restores the original beach house. Additions provide new living space, bedrooms, garage and outdoor areas in harmony with ESHA without interfering with neighbors’ views.

The Beach House

Constructed around 1925 as a two-room cottage, subsequent additions included the living room with fireplace, a second bedroom, and enclosed porch. Its’ wood frame single wall construction and wood sash windows are characteristic of early 20th Century architecture on the Peninsula

Soils Investigation

Soils investigations, biological assessments and sun, wind and view studies strongly inﬂuenced site development, building placement and conﬁguration. As a result of extensive analysis, each team consultant had a speciﬁc inﬂuence on the design.

Traditional wood frame construction is abstracted for a more transparent exterior skin. The desired eﬀect is for the two-‐ story Gathering House to appear to be “stripped” of its siding and resting on top of a stone base.

In accordance with the owners’ wishes, the connection at the Beach House and the Gathering House is transparent, providing views over the dune to the ocean and back into the adjacent woods. The Beach House retains its character while additions complement its massing.