The Big Sur Coast has drawn artists and poets for decades, each one in search of metaphoric clarity and inspiration within their artistry. This project is an architect's poem to the landscape from which they draw their inspiration. The concept embodies the surrounding watershed, which flows off of the mountains, into the Carmel Lagoon, and spills into the Pacific Ocean. On the cliffside, the famous Bixby Bridge spans the peaks above these watery outlets. 

 

“Water's Edge” is a delicately crafted homage to this natural composition. Two programmatic volumes are situated between an inland reflecting pool and an oceanside infinity edge which extends into the horizon. The building then spans between the two pools in a silhouette reminiscent of the nearby Bixby Bridge. There, on that bridge, the awe-inspiring weight of the Pacific Ocean is drawn into the main living space through seamless glass walls.

 

Each architectural element was derived through studying the natural ecosystem in which it has become a part of, even drawing its temperature from deep within the rocky cliff it sits upon. This poem is written in hand-carved split faced stone, glass and water.

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Photography by Interface Visual