Sea Ranch – Living on the Pacific Coast
Sea Ranch is located on the California coast, 150 km north of San Francisco, on Highway 1. Originally forested with redwood trees, it was cleared at the end of the last century and subsequently used as pastureland for sheep. Purchased by Oceanic Properties in 1960, it became world-famous in 1966 with the condominium designed by MLTW – Moore, Lyndon, Turnbull, and Whitacker. Since then, Sea Ranch has stood for American timber-framed architecture and a new style of housing. The buildings themselves were based on the following general concept: The houses should be as individual and stylistically diverse as possible, yet at the same time form a unity with nature. To preserve the expansive character of the landscape, the spaces between the private properties are public, no fences may be erected on property lines, and the properties themselves should be left untouched by landscaping. Esherick placed a group of six houses next to the first row of cypress trees, positioned so closely together that they create sheltered courtyards. The MLTW condominium occupies a prominent location near the Pacific Ocean. Ten residential units are grouped under a large, shed roof, with glazed bay windows and skylights opening the rooms to nature and sunlight. Its location and imposing form have rightfully made the condominium a landmark of the entire Sea Ranch area. The predominant construction principle of the houses in Sea Ranch is the ribbed construction common in North America. Standardized 6/10 cm (2/4 inch) planks serve as sills, beams, posts, ceiling joists, purlins, and lintels. The spacing between posts and ceiling joists ranges from 40 cm to 60 cm. The posts are sheathed on one or both sides, creating a ribbed cross-section that distributes the vertical and horizontal loads. The narrow and variable rib spacing with the planking allows for individual planning despite the standardized building elements, a construction method free from any modular constraints and grid axes in plan and elevation.
