QASTIC’s house in california is shaped by continuous and accessible roofscape design

in the ‘roofscape house’, QASTIC has one fundamental design question about hillside residential architecture which dictates the formation of the space. how to take advantage of the slope as an opportunity to redefine the role of a courtyard? as a result, inspired by the geography of the hillside lot in orange county, a continuous and accessible roofscape took shape to embrace all elements of a yard in a california house.

exterior view during night time

californian based QASTIC lab‘s design program responds to a typical house for a family of four people. the oldest son is interested and educated in astronomy. therefore, he may want to keep some of his telescopes in the house to take advantage of the clear sky to study the stars, galaxy and our universe above.

hybrid of a seating area and bookshelves are incorporated into the living room

looking through the site capacities and the precise language of the program, QASTIC has narrated a story which has a beginning and an end. this story begins with an outside roofscape which is the entry pad that directs us to the interior or the roofscape. the roof path initiates with the BBQ area which leads to the fire pit, jacuzzi and eventually the observatory platform at the top of the path. as a result of the connection between the lower and upper part of the property, the house itself has taken its shape in four elevating levels while letting every space have direct access to the roof.

kitchen area with sloped roofs and glass windows

responding to limitations of grading in cut and fills in the site; four separate pads are connected in smooth transitions by stairs. at the same time, it creates the optimal opportunity for interior seating, indoor cinema and library applications. while the interior public areas of this linear house happen in the middle of the structure, the master bedroom and rooms are located at both ends of the house again offering direct access to the landscaped roof.

view towards the second floor

the top end of the path ends or begins with an observatory spherical shape exterior pavilion which provides direct access to the galaxy observation telescope. this orchestrates a unique concept which may offer a multifunctional and exceptional experience of the space. the top pavilion space precisely frames the sky to allow the journey of traveling on the roof to finish with a poetic transition to the sky above.

bedroom with spiral staircase in the background

detail drawing and bathroom view

conceptual diagram

views and horizon diagram

site plan

first floor plan

second floor plan

section

project info:

location: 1 hunky dory lane, trabuco canyon, orange county, california, usa 

client: BZ construction

architects: QASTIC LAB

designer in charge: mahdi alibakhshian

design team: nguon keat tiv,  soroush sasanian, connor van cleave, maryam laleh

consultants: nathaniel hadley – mohamadreza mojahedi 

structural engineering: jeta engineering

civil engineering: proactive engineering

area: 4500 sqf

project year: 2016-present

status: in process – on the board

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