Shades of gray - K+B Studio

Custom Home, Jan-Feb, 2004 by Shelley D. Hutchins

Malibu, Calif.-based architect David Lawrence Gray, FAIA, believes strongly enough in the benefits of reinforced concrete that it is the sole structural material for all of his designs. As in most of his projects, the architect's own home features post-and-beam concrete construction with radiant-heated concrete floors. The material is left exposed and unsealed throughout--even in wet spaces such as this master bath. Gray describes his house as "a concrete skeleton with glass, stone, and glass block infill."

The infill for the concrete-wrapped master bath includes marble for the open shower/soaking tub and glass block for the exterior wall. Steel-framed transparent glass above the tub is part of a cruciform skylight that runs the entire length and width of the third floor. A north-facing transom offers bathers direct sunlight from dawn to dusk. Gray selected sustainably harvested teak doors as a nod to the waterfront setting and to add warmth. "Wood is beautiful but impractical," explains Gray. "Concrete is a timeless material that minimizes threats of fire, flood, rot, mold, termites, salt water, and extreme temperatures. And, it's green building in its purest sense."

Contractor: LCG Construction, Malibu, Calif.; Architect: David Lawrence Gray Architects, Malibu; Structural engineer: Dimitri Vergun, Santa Monica, Calif.; Photographer: Tim Street-Porter. * Resources: Cabinets: Siematic, Circle 400; Light fixtures: Halo, Circle 401 and Lightolier, Circle 402; Plumbing fittings and fixtures: American Standard, Circle 403 and Dornbracht, Circle 404.