This Brilliant Cliffside Home Is a California Dream Come to Life

We always look at projects once they’ve been completed. Finished. Done. But in architecture, conception is just as important a process as completion. And while we love stunning photos of already-built homes as much as the next guy, there’s something about the sense of wonder and promise in renderings that can’t be matched.

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Take Sea Song, for instance. A planned project for an oceanside lot in Big Sur, it perfectly aligns with Form 4 Architecture’s core belief of sustainability and organic compatibility. Sea Song has already accumulated seven major honours, including first place for Conceptual Architecture at the 2016 International Design Awards.

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Its design mirrors a trio of gliding manta rays. And, much like the animals, the home’s environmental footprint is virtually null.

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The residence is raised on a cantilevered podium, minimizing site disturbance, and is self-sustaining enough to qualify for LEED Platinum certification.

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Those of you who want to be Iron Man and build your own Stark Tower, take notes: As a net zero energy building, Sea Song features self-cleaning glass, a rainwater retention cistern, photovoltaics to ease off-the-grid living and a xeriscaped yard.

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Imitating the exterior and its surroundings, the interior is fluid to create a sense of lightness. The architects wisely took every chance they had to open up sight lines to the ocean — there’s always a glimpse to the vastness and beyond.

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Natural materials and curated art pieces provide just a touch of embellishment, as the simple space is only a supporting act for the main show of the Californian coast.

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Renderings courtesy of Form4 Architecture