California Houses: Creativity in Context by Michael Webb
Quoting Finnish architect Alvar
Aalto that the purpose of architecture is to “build a paradise on earth for
man” is an apt introduction to 36 homes across the Golden State that express an
Edenic way of life. Your house envy will be activated as you page through homes
of, as Webb describes them, “the lucky few [who] can choose to live where they
want and commission an architect to tailor one or more houses to their dreams.”
In his essay, Webb gives a primer on California’s architectural strength as the
exemplar of the single-family home. The themed sections—“Engaging Nature,”
“Weaving the Urban Fabric,” and “Viewing Town & Country”—seem to overlap,
particularly as connotations of “nature,” “urban,” “town,” and “country” are
quite flexible when referring to California. (The author admits the
classifications are “porous.”) With all but three architects based in
California, these creators intrinsically understand the challenges of designing
with concerns of earthquakes, energy savings, challenging sites, drought, and
other restrictions. What carries through all these stunners is an unabashed
commitment to form—from strictly orthogonal to blobby to fractured. Thames & Hudson, 2024, 304 pages, hardcover,
$65.
