Okay a little background... I did a project for a client about 4 months ago that was developing very slowly and the stopped for about 3 months. The same client has contacted me again with a friend with a new program and agenda: they want the same design (they are paying for 2 not 1 thank god!) on their houses. Since the program has changed I cannot use the design I had before (This: is a sketch I did back then before I knew the beach regulations (http://arquitecturaurbana.awardspace.com/proyectos-recientes/casa-de-playa-e-k/) ). I'll have to do a complete re-design and was thinking of mirroring the design...

Anyway here is the fact sheet and rules:


Project - Twin beach houses in Peru
Location - Barrancadero, Lima Peru
Type of Project - Beach House
Design Parameters - Okay this is where I'll post the Beach's rules (it has its own regulations; it is a club-beach-condo thing)

50% min of the roofs need to be sloped (bummer!)
The houses need to have a sort of base to build over of (why? who knows)...
You need to provide parking for 2 cars in your lot
Over the 9m line (form the beach) you need to have a 3m setback.
From the road (on top) the max height is 3m.
The house has to be mostly white

Design Approach - The client asked for the following: 3 storeys (4 with the base) (top: entrance, parking and 2 bedrooms (and service areas); center: social areas; bottom : exit to beach a 3 bedrooms), that each bedroom has its own bathroom and room for a queen sized bed, it has to have an elevator; the entrance to the service areas has to be from the outside, he wanted to have the cars as a buffer zone between the entrance and the service areas.
Tools/Programs- Micro GDS and Sketchup so far...

This is and overall photo of the beach; you'll notice that the base is very heavy and forward in all of the houses...I am also showing the location of Lot1 and Lot2... as you can see there is an empty lot between them... the empty lot actually belongs to someone, it just hasn't been built yet. To the left of L2 there is also a lot that will be built in the future...

To counter this thendendy of heaviness, I thought of making the base be recessed in respect of the rest of the design. This gave me a chance to think of it as two elements that wll "cradle" the programmatic bars that will be inserted into the proyect...

Here are some images

Another one

From above and form the "top road" side

Another one form above

I'll post the plans in a couple of minutes....

i have moved this to the real projects section

Okay PLEASE BEAR IN MIND THIS IS A WIP, so this "plans" suck bigtime... they are more "diagrams" than plans actually. You can get an idea of where the doors are actually...
Top Floor (entrance, 2 br, service area (br+bath+laundry (not drawn but on top right corner)...

"Middle floor"

Bottom floor (3 br + exit to beach)

Any comments or critiques that might help improve the proyect (even if it means a redesign) are welcomed...

Ohh BTW I am working on the house it Lot1 first, then I'll try to convince the other client to let me do a different design... If it does'nt happen, his house will be a mirror of this one...

Okay PLEASE BEAR IN MIND THIS IS A WIP, so this "plans" suck bigtime... they are more "diagrams" than plans actually. You can get an idea of where the doors are actually...


this forum is all about WIP... don't worry

Diego,

great post so far, I appreciate your thoroughness. A prime example of how projects should be posted on PPB so we don't have to ask a bunch of uneccessary questions...

One question I have so far is why so may bedrooms? there is what, 5? who will be living here and how will this house be used? Is it just a beach house used for vacations and weekends? or is this a permanent residence? Also, I am a bit unclear on how you modeled the "context" around the house. You have shown "walls" on both sides of the design. why? is this not a sloped, bluff-like site? It looks cool but is not what is really happening there, correct?

On the bedrooms the one on the lower level that sits in the middle seems very tight. The depth of it barely fits a bed. I don't think this is a wise decision. Also, the other two bedrooms seem a little tight to me too. what are the dimensions on those guys?

On the sequence of the public to private spaces. You enter from above, right? so go downwards to get to the spaces when you arrive from the road and official front door? So why have you chosen to place bedrooms on this entry level and then sandwich the public spaces between two levels that have private spaces to them? I am not trying to be too judgemental on this but am not sure I would have done it that way, but I want to hear what you have to say on this move.

Also, what are you representing with the green color on the plans? obviosly the "x" near it is the mech. chase... I don't really have any comments yet on the actual form of this project. there seems to be a big jump from the concepts model you started with and then just jumping into the house design, which seems pretty worked out. What is driving this thing?

interesting post so far and I am curious to hear and see more...

I also agree about the bedrooms. plus, I find it strange that there are more bedrooms than places to sit and eat...

The project looks interesting at first sight though.

can you tell us something about environmental conditions - ocean breezes? sun movement, is it hot? mild?

I often find that twin or double buildings in architecture often form a relationship. Usually this takes the form of a family thus to maximise empathy. This could be two brothers, a father and son, a mother and child , three sisters etc ..What if any relationship do the two houses have to each other ? An interesting project.

Why don't you put the three bedrooms in a row, all with a nice ocean view and move the bathrooms to the back?:wondering

And all your sofas look really small!:eek:

ddelcast, I'm looking forward to an interesting thread your stuff is always good confident and enthusiastic design.
Just point out before the thread gets going though that your signature (http://www.pushpullbar.com/forums/showpost.php?p=63072&postcount=94) is in there already:D

Diego,

great post so far, I appreciate your thoroughness. A prime example of how projects should be posted on PPB so we don't have to ask a bunch of uneccessary questions...

One question I have so far is why so may bedrooms? there is what, 5? who will be living here and how will this house be used? Is it just a beach house used for vacations and weekends? or is this a permanent residence? Also, I am a bit unclear on how you modeled the "context" around the house. You have shown "walls" on both sides of the design. why? is this not a sloped, bluff-like site? It looks cool but is not what is really happening there, correct?

On the bedrooms the one on the lower level that sits in the middle seems very tight. The depth of it barely fits a bed. I don't think this is a wise decision. Also, the other two bedrooms seem a little tight to me too. what are the dimensions on those guys?

On the sequence of the public to private spaces. You enter from above, right? so go downwards to get to the spaces when you arrive from the road and official front door? So why have you chosen to place bedrooms on this entry level and then sandwich the public spaces between two levels that have private spaces to them? I am not trying to be too judgemental on this but am not sure I would have done it that way, but I want to hear what you have to say on this move.

Also, what are you representing with the green color on the plans? obviosly the "x" near it is the mech. chase... I don't really have any comments yet on the actual form of this project. there seems to be a big jump from the concepts model you started with and then just jumping into the house design, which seems pretty worked out. What is driving this thing?

interesting post so far and I am curious to hear and see more...

Good questions Wizum; I'll try and answer them

Why so many bedrooms? who knows; client request. He has 3 kids aged 20 something so my gues is that he wants them to have their own space at the house when the get married in the future (hence the queen sized beds).

The sequence from public to private was a very specific client request. I think it relates also to the above. He wants to use the social areas as a buffer from the kids's area

Also the two blocks on boths sides of the model represent how the house will actually look like when the houses on both sides are buils (right now there are empty lots but the owners are planning on building soon (if you take a look at the first picture that shows the beach you'll know what I mean)

The green on the plan represents grass or planters, that space is a light shaft to get light to the kitchen, and bedroom below..

can you tell us something about environmental conditions - ocean breezes? sun movement, is it hot? mild?


The house is oriented (roughly) E-W (the bedrooms facing west to the ocean)

Why don't you put the three bedrooms in a row, all with a nice ocean view and move the bathrooms to the back?:wondering

And all your sofas look really small!:eek:

Moving the bath to the back will mean that you'll need ducts to solve ventilation (In Peru we have a strict rule about "natural ventilation and illumination" to save energy). Also 3 rooms in a row dont fit! (you need the passage for the stairs which become the main entrance to the house onc you are on the beach).
But... remember we only have one bedroom with no ocean view (whose illum and vent is solved using the "light shaft" that has to be a min of 1/3 of the height of the building)

I often find that twin or double buildings in architecture often form a relationship. Usually this takes the form of a family thus to maximise empathy. This could be two brothers, a father and son, a mother and child , three sisters etc ..What if any relationship do the two houses have to each other ? An interesting project.

They are really close friend and colleagues (doctors).. I am not sure if I agree with you; I would have preferred for them to hire me to do two distinct houses....

ddelcast, I'm looking forward to an interesting thread your stuff is always good confident and enthusiastic design.
Just point out before the thread gets going though that your signature (http://www.pushpullbar.com/forums/showpost.php?p=63072&postcount=94) is in there already:D

mmmmmmmmmmm:wondering

Hi ddelcast,
In my opinion I'd try to resolve the stairs in general, the circulation from the living area to the beach. I think it'd be much nicer if you can go to teh beach without passing thru the bedrooms spraying sand( I'm not saying move the Living, where it is located is right to me) on top of that, if you have a transitional space @lower level where you can leave towels, sandals, etc it would help a lot.
I'd have the circulation on one side of the house, now you start on the left and end up on the right.

Fernando

I would find it frustrating that the living space is neither directly connected to the beach nor directly connected to the entrance. Coming into a bedroom level and going down seems a little perverse to me and it strikes me that it would make more sense to keep the lving space as high as possible to get the best views. There is logic in dropping down a level from the elevated entrance if you are coming into a double height living space but that doesnt appear to be the case which is a shame.

The formal games i can take or leave. I dont think the logic of the folding enclosing shapes is fully exploited and there are bits which still look a bitty fiddly and stylistically gratuitous.

The whole thing reminds me very much of http://www.pushpullbar.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=20696&stc=1&d=1157021645

Casa Equis by Barclay & Crousse. Loved that house, the image stuck since so many years back.

I would find it frustrating that the living space is neither directly connected to the beach nor directly connected to the entrance. Coming into a bedroom level and going down seems a little perverse to me and it strikes me that it would make more sense to keep the lving space as high as possible to get the best views.

I totally agree with you; I would've stick with the progression: public/private/beach but the client was very specific as to where he wanted things in terms of sequence (frustrating but one must remember that you are not going to live there... the client is (remember also there's 2 of those))

Hi ddelcast,
In my opinion I'd try to resolve the stairs in general, the circulation from the living area to the beach. I think it'd be much nicer if you can go to teh beach without passing thru the bedrooms spraying sand( I'm not saying move the Living, where it is located is right to me) on top of that, if you have a transitional space @lower level where you can leave towels, sandals, etc it would help a lot.
I'd have the circulation on one side of the house, now you start on the left and end up on the right.

Fernando

True and noted... I relally like your idea of a transitional space where you can wash your feet, leave sandals etc...I'll try to implement it...

The whole thing reminds me very much of http://www.pushpullbar.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=20696&stc=1&d=1157021645

Casa Equis by Barclay & Crousse. Loved that house, the image stuck since so many years back.

That house is a classic! If this project reminds you of that house, it is a great compliment to me!!

This is a render showing the house and its future context (then all the lots are built) (taking into account the setbacks, if you see the houses to the right of the context picture in post #2, you'll see that the "trend" is to maximize the space by building right to the setback line (0mts from 0-9mts high and -3 from 9 onward)... as you can see the houses to the right on post #2 have followed the sequence public-private-private-base-beach... I'm going private-public-private-base-beach)

A render without the neighbor houses (it'll probably look like this until the next year when the guys next-lot decide to build...) remember that the twin house (not shown) is supposed to be 1 lot apart... Also remember I'm trying to convince them not to be twin houses...

I would find it frustrating that the living space is neither directly connected to the beach nor directly connected to the entrance. Coming into a bedroom level and going down seems a little perverse to me and it strikes me that it would make more sense to keep the lving space as high as possible to get the best views. There is logic in dropping down a level from the elevated entrance if you are coming into a double height living space but that doesnt appear to be the case which is a shame.

The formal games i can take or leave. I dont think the logic of the folding enclosing shapes is fully exploited and there are bits which still look a bitty fiddly and stylistically gratuitous.

You make a good point am i wry... I was thinking the same thing when I started to think about how you could have a place at the entry to split where you go, articulating the public access that proceeds directly to the public spaces on the level below and then a discreet doorway or access to the bedrooms at the top level. Is this a possiblity Diego? and would there be a way to give access seperate from public to beach? and then give access from lower private to beach? Maybe redundant but somehow it could give clarity to what is private space verses public.

I see now too that you are bringing this house to the property line so you do have a 0 setback to the sides. I am assuming that the other houses there did not do this as there appears to be some space between them? I guess too it wouldn't be that bad of a thing if the second client liked this plan and design and wanted the same. I could see you could miror it and then have some elements that played off each other so that the two created some kind of compositional balance. Just a thought for the future of how the designs could play off each other if you got stuck in having to recycle the design for the second house.

You make a good point am i wry... I was thinking the same thing when I started to think about how you could have a place at the entry to split where you go, articulating the public access that proceeds directly to the public spaces on the level below and then a discreet doorway or access to the bedrooms at the top level. Is this a possiblity Diego? and would there be a way to give access seperate from public to beach? and then give access from lower private to beach? Maybe redundant but somehow it could give clarity to what is private space verses public.

I see now too that you are bringing this house to the property line so you do have a 0 setback to the sides. I am assuming that the other houses there did not do this as there appears to be some space between them? I guess too it wouldn't be that bad of a thing if the second client liked this plan and design and wanted the same. I could see you could miror it and then have some elements that played off each other so that the two created some kind of compositional balance. Just a thought for the future of how the designs could play off each other if you got stuck in having to recycle the design for the second house.

I am still playing with the plan... more later.
About the property line: The beach condos at Peru work in a different way in terms of the lot. When you are given a lot; the lot is not a lot per se but it is an 100% buildable footprint and the setbacks are meant to be regulations for the architecture. Since most clients are cheap bast***rds they tent to want to utilize 100% of the buildable volume (hence the look of the houses tend to be similar). So the 3m setback above 9mts of height is meant to be a setback for some kind of terrace and is only meant to happen towards the ocean. Most Beach clubs have similar restraints. Also there is usually 0m setback on the sides (some lots have a side public stair so that people can go down from the sidewalk above... not the case in either of them).
In this picture (http://www.pushpullbar.com/forums/showpost.php?p=70064&postcount=2) to the right hand side you can see what I mean. There you see 4 houses right next to each other. The space you see between them is not a setback but they've chosen to use the stair that goes down from the house as a buffer between the houses...
In our case, both of our houses will be "sandwiched"...

I think this picture shows best the regulations issues. These 3(to the right side) houses have used almost 100% of the buildable volume. (Not my case though). The house to the left is more akin to what I'm doing...Remember the buffer stair is a CHOICE so I can't count on that... Also the 2 houses at the middle where done by the same architect.

Also I think I forgot to mention another client's request. He was very concerned about what will be built in the future next to his project (he didn't want to end up looking at an ugly neighbors wall) and told me to do something about it...

This image show the relation between public and private

BTW the elevator is an all glass hydraulic elev..the mechanical stuff will be housed in the "base" floor (below the bedrooms)... since it is dead area anyway, I thought I should use it for something...

Updated top floor

Updated Middle floor

Updated lower floor

I am playing around with the visualization of this projact and have a question for u guys... Is there a tutorial on how to create components you can insert?
I have tons of pictures of people and trees (some I've even paid for ;) ) and it would be great if I could insert them in sketchup as components (so that they can cast shadows) rather than in photoshop...

Here is a try...

Not my idea of a beach house where it's all about relaxing and enjoying the scenery. This looks more like an apartment building snatched from a city and placed on the seafront.

Hi Diego,
taking a look at the lower level floor plan..I think 3 bathrooms are too many...maybe combine 2 bathrooms or even the three in one with independent rooms for the toilet and shower, it'd allow to 3 people can use the bathroom at the same time....and also I'd move the two baths from there to the back and the little family room to the front...how about closets? the three bedroms need at least a little closet.

about the design I like the exterior; I think, the interior could be better, reducing the circulation area.

Fernando

Hi Diego,
taking a look at the lower level floor plan..I think 3 bathrooms are too many...maybe combine 2 bathrooms or even the three in one with independent rooms for the toilet and shower, it'd allow to 3 people can use the bathroom at the same time....and also I'd move the two baths from there to the back and the little family room to the front...how about closets? the three bedroms need at least a little closet.

about the design I like the exterior; I think, the interior could be better, reducing the circulation area.

Fernando

If you look closely there are closets (If I posted the latest plan (let me check). There is also a closet beneath the stairs...
The number of baths and rooms are a client request (I agree with you, they are unnecessary but both my clients wanted one bathroom per bedroom). Moving the bathrooms to the back would be a problem because (again a client request) they want the baths to be part of the rooms (so that they are more private). I'll try and point these unnecessary things in our next meeting (after Christmas) but I doubt they will like to change that (they where very firm and sure about their requests).

Yep you'r right! there are no closets drawn... they are there not to worry. I agree the circulation could be much better.. There is still a lot of time to play around with the plans (deadline is 15th of April 2007)

Not my idea of a beach house where it's all about relaxing and enjoying the scenery. This looks more like an apartment building snatched from a city and placed on the seafront.

It is probably because it is 4 storeys high. But... that happens when your client asks you for 5 bedrooms + 5 bathrooms (6 if you count service) and tou have a site 16 mts long by 12 mts high by 10 mts wide...Add that all the setbacks and regulations and you just can't get away from making a "building" as opposed to a "house"...
I know Alvaro Leite Siza managed to do something different but he ended up with like 13 floors... and only one space/function per floor...
I am not making excuses BTW It needs work but I think this could be a very cool project considering...

Try moving the stair on the lowest level all the way to the left, creating a 'vertical circulation' zone on that side and then capturing the wasted hall space into the top right bedroom. Also, why is the upper right corner of the lowest level not being used? Take it into the house and use it for the bathroom. This will free up more common living space at the level...

Kill the planter behind the couch on the mid level and move the couch back against the stair: This is a five bedroom house and you have only left room for a 6-person table. Take out the small section of wall at the exterior glass that is forming a "dining room": It's only in the way.

Have you drawn sections yet? One thing I see is that the vertical lightwell bumps in and out from level to level (it's smaller at the kitchen level than the top and the bottom is the biggest). Why not make it the same width on the top and bottom and let the kitchen pooch out into the lightwell. THis would give you even more space at the bottom.



Does all this make sense? I've attached a sketch and also attached a larger PDF in the next post...

One other minor drafting point: Typically, a floorplan is cut about 4 feet (1.33 meters?) off the floor so the stair run going up is cut off shorter than the run going down as you can see it below. At the bottom level, this means that you should only be seeing about 5 or 6 treads before it's cut off.

.

Try moving the stair on the lowest level all the way to the left, creating a 'vertical circulation' zone on that side and then capturing the wasted hall space into the top right bedroom. Also, why is the upper right corner of the lowest level not being used? Take it into the house and use it for the bathroom. This will free up more common living space at the level...

Kill the planter behind the couch on the mid level and move the couch back against the stair: This is a five bedroom house and you have only left room for a 6-person table. Take out the small section of wall at the exterior glass that is forming a "dining room": It's only in the way.

Have you drawn sections yet? One thing I see is that the vertical lightwell bumps in and out from level to level (it's smaller at the kitchen level than the top and the bottom is the biggest). Why not make it the same width on the top and bottom and let the kitchen pooch out into the lightwell. THis would give you even more space at the bottom.



Does all this make sense? I've attached a sketch and also attached a larger PDF in the next post...

One other minor drafting point: Typically, a floorplan is cut about 4 feet (1.33 meters?) off the floor so the stair run going up is cut off shorter than the run going down as you can see it below. At the bottom level, this means that you should only be seeing about 5 or 6 treads before it's cut off.

Thank you very much for your sketches, they might actually work ... but You forgot that I also need an elevator (the rectangle with a diagonal just further from where you wrote "stop floor here"). The shaft or duct steps because it is meant to be an interior feature with planters and ins and outs (it is actually open in the interior with handrails form the dining/living and stairs. The changes you suggest for the bottom most floor actually make a lot of sense!. I don't know about moving the circulation but I can work around that...
The size of the dining room is not really relevant since it is the way thing work during the summer down here... this summer houses are actually social gathering places so you never actually "sit" for dinner and most never they will sit at the same time since some will be on the beach etc. Also it is very common to have groups so some will eat outside at the terrace while others will eat inside at the dinning room. It is all very relaxing and informal.
THANKS AGAIN This is very helpful :cheers:

Also the "couches" are actually built-in fixed concrete furniture

Okay,
The meeting with the clients went very well (or terrible depending on how you see it). They liked the new design but they both agreed that they LOVED the old one (http://arquitecturaurbana.awardspace.com/proyectos-recientes/casa-de-playa-e-k/)! So what they want is a compromise of this new one (which has the program they want) with the looks of the old one. (I HATE recycling designs but...).
What they said about the old one was basically that they loved the way it steps back and looks a little more open than what you usually get at that beach...
After a lot of effort during the weekend (yes I worked during new year!) I think I have managed to get something nice... (it is still a WIP so images are not going to be top notch - only sketchup so far)...
Here it goes:
Top floor

The Middle floor (the service areas have been moved to this floor to accomodate for the much bigger light and ventilation duct (now it looks more like and inside patio))

The lower floor

The image

Another image ... one big change from the old one (apart form the height and # of floors) is that they want NO wood whatsoever on the facade...

This is what the two will end up looking like together

Generally the plans look pretty good. Whats that odd long room on the lowest floor though? You also appear to have a bedroom with no windows on the middle floor and what looks to be the largest bedroom on the lowest floor seems to only get light from the small and deep lightwell which is a shame but probably unavoidable.

I have to say i dont like the external expression of the building though. It all seems just a bit too fussy for me and the tall element above the stairs down to the beach i find distracting. It makes a very big deal out of a relatively minor element and i think the elevations would benefit from editting it out.

Generally the plans look pretty good. Whats that odd long room on the lowest floor though? You also appear to have a bedroom with no windows on the middle floor and what looks to be the largest bedroom on the lowest floor seems to only get light from the small and deep lightwell which is a shame but probably unavoidable.

I have to say i dont like the external expression of the building though. It all seems just a bit too fussy for me and the tall element above the stairs down to the beach i find distracting. It makes a very big deal out of a relatively minor element and i think the elevations would benefit from editting it out.

the long room on the bottom is storage. The "room with no windows" actually vent thru the small patio next to it and it is the service room.
I appreciate your comments... the massing is still under study and things could change so... hang on...

Hi Diego,
I'm still thinking that moving the access to the beach to the other side next to the stair would be much better...so you can keep your stair going down half level. having on the right generates innecesary circulation.

Fernando

Diego,

I think an improvement on the plans... I would question a few things but much better than from before... Any chance you could give us a could of sections? I think this could really help us all get a better feel for how the levels are relating to each other... and I agree with am_i_wry on the elevations, they just aren't there yet...

Diego,

I think an improvement on the plans... I would question a few things but much better than from before... Any chance you could give us a could of sections? I think this could really help us all get a better feel for how the levels are relating to each other... and I agree with am_i_wry on the elevations, they just aren't there yet...

The sections are a couple of weeks due (they are in my head). Thing is that once I get the ok from the client regarding the massing and the plans, the project goes to the drafting department where they will eventually draw the sections I will probably sketch by hand...as soon as I have them, I'll post

The sections are a couple of weeks due (they are in my head). Thing is that once I get the ok from the client regarding the massing and the plans, the project goes to the drafting department where they will eventually draw the sections I will probably sketch by hand...as soon as I have them, I'll post

Hmmmm... let me be honest Diego... with a project like this one, with the context and grade it has I am a bit disappointed that you did not work in section in some way... I am a big fan of sections and how they can really inform the form and space... This project just screams section to me :)...If I am assuming you didn't work in section I appoligize...

Yeah sections are a must and in terms of presenting a project like this they are vital even if they are only in sketch form. Proper drawings are great but in the projects i have seen here there arent enough of the little conceptual diagrams that should drive design. That might be more down to a choice of what to show in the editing rather than them not existing but for me the diagram is everything and in assessing something i want to see it there as reference.

Specifically for this project i would like to see more on how the lightwell works. Its small and deep and there are rooms reliant on it for lighting and outlook and i and not certain what its quality is going to be.

Hmmmm... let me be honest Diego... with a project like this one, with the context and grade it has I am a bit disappointed that you did not work in section in some way... I am a big fan of sections and how they can really inform the form and space... This project just screams section to me :)...If I am assuming you didn't work in section I appoligize...

I am not sure if I agree with you; to me you always "work" in 3d... Sections and plans are just representations of what is thought three dimensional. If I don't know how the section will potentially look like, then I am not doing my job right. The only thing is that it is not "drawn", because right now we are in a "client" phase (which means that all graphics are oriented towards getting the client understand the project and so far I haven't needed a section for that (and quite honestly I don't think I'll need one)).
The way I work is that whether its 3d, section or plan, I always imagine the space first... The discussion of section vs diagram vs plan vs 3d is really outdated and (to me) already dead...sorry...:wondering

Actually its not outdated at all but you are misrepresenting the issue by placing those things in opposition. Working in 3d doesnt preclude the use of a diagram or even a section to explore issues indeed i would suggest that the diagram is more to do with design intent than description and is absolutely central to the process. The fact that you havent had one can perhaps be seen in the fairly significant change you have recently made to the layout. Diagramatically the layout is now stronger but the circulation split still reduced the clarity of the diagram.

Still, since you have worked in 3d you will have no doubt sufficiently modelled the scheme to be able to cut some sections through it and humour us by posting them ;)

Hi Diego,
I'm still thinking that moving the access to the beach to the other side next to the stair would be much better...so you can keep your stair going down half level. having on the right generates innecesary circulation.

Fernando

I agree, in my oppinion your design would benefit greatly if you would concentrate the vertical circulation in one side of the house and make that evident in the volume, supressing the vertical "portico" you use to frame the access to the beach level (seems too much weight for something not really related to any special feature, just an accessory) and concentrate your attention in emphasizing the stair volume / access to the beach (making them a unified vertical sequence clearly marked in the facade) in counetpoint with the more horizontal cantilevered volume of the lower and middle floor. Don't get me wrong - I like the overall look of the house and your use of image, but it needs a little "cleaning up imo.
Good luck with your work.

Is the dialogue between your two buildings that they are a mirror image of each other? What do your two buildings say not only about the site but each other?

sections as requested (this is the cross section thru the light well) (I have just noticed that the glass enclosure above the well was off sorry! just imagine its there)

Long setion thru the light-well across the entrance bridge

Long section across the light well