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DUTRA ADDITION
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA
Photography: Paul Body
Photography
CMACN 2005 Awards Edition, “CMU Profiles in Architecture”
Jury
Comments: This linear addition chooses to be
distinct from its existing Spanish counterpart. Owing to the
narrow site and limited views, the resulting building
utilizes long interior vistas to mask its size and enliven
the spatial gradient. The strong use of ground faced
concrete masonry in this instance, greatly contributes to
the materiality of the structure. It is not necessary,
therefore, to use paint to activate the composition.
This project is a 1,000 square foot addition housing a
new kitchen, master suite, and painting studio. The addition
is purposefully distinct from the original house. Time and
influence of era are displayed openly. The austerity of the
existing 1920’s Spanish home, with its simple geometry
and very light detailing, has a counterpart in the newly
created masonry adjacent to it. At the same time, the
geography of the lot allows only a glimpse of the other at
any given time.
The concrete block is ground, giving a rich surface to this most basic of materials. The beautiful block is exposed on the inside as well. The architect worked with the local block manufacturer to custom spec the color of the aggregate prior to the grinding of the block faces. The doors and windows are Jarrah, a species of eucalyptus. Likewise, the kitchen cabinets are eucalyptus plywood. The flooring is reclaimed bowling alley wood (clear yellow pine) rescued from the demolished Aztec Bowl in North Park.
When the plans for the addition were chalked out on the ground, it was discovered that four dwarf citrus trees lie just outside of the new walls – and too close to survive for long. It was decided to relocate them vertically so that they appeared to merely float up the walls of the new structure and become affixed. The trees were simply levitated upward and attached. Hot-dipped brackets were fixed to the sturdy masonry walls of the addition to hold the wooded pots in place. There is poetry in the lifting and maintaining of the trees.
ARCHITECT:
Public
4441 Park Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92116
James
Brown, AIA
Principal
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER:
Envision Engineering
GENERAL CONTRACTOR:
James Brown and Isabel Dutra
MASONRY CONTRACTOR:
Masonry Unlimited
BLOCK PRODUCER:
RCP Block & Brick, Inc.
OWNER:
James Brown and Isabel Dutra
