Mediterranean roots, but built for today's tight lots - 1991-1992 Western Home Awards

Sunset, Oct, 1991

DON'T FENCE ME OUT! was the jurors' reaction to this hillside house near Malibu, California. What most aroused their friendly jealousy was the skillful treatment of architecture and landscape as a single functional and esthetic composition.

According to architect-owner Buzz Yudell and his wife, Tina Beebe, a graphic designer and an avid gardener, "the house evolved from the constraints and pleasures of the site." Because of Coastal Commission and fire department restrictions, only a 32-foot-wide strip along the 600-foot length of sloping lot was actually buildable.

The house was organized along this north-south axis as a series of platforms with three parallel elements--first-floor rooms, indoor circulation along a glazed gallery, and outdoor circulation along a terraced "street"--all stepping down the hillside.

Outdoor rooms--from vine-covered entrance courtyard at the top of the site to rose-entwined pergola near the bottom--take full advantage of Malibu's mild climate.

Juror Goldstein called the project "a true California house recalling Spanish-style architecture without slavish use of decorative detail." Simon said, "This wonderful house evokes gentle memories of other places and other times, especially of Italian hill towns."