Architects: WOJR Photography: Nick Dearden Construction Period: 2025 Location: Santa Cruz, USA
Perched in the foothills of California’s Santa Cruz mountains, WOJR’s House of Horns transforms architectural ruins into something altogether more compelling. This 800-square-metre residence in Los Altos Hills breathes new life into abandoned foundations, creating a home that functions as both shelter and sculptural instrument. The project’s distinctive name stems from its conceptual foundation—the architects envisioned the house as an assemblage of instruments, each element tuned to capture the rhythms of daily and seasonal change. These metaphorical “horns” manifest as carefully oriented skylights and clerestories that orchestrate the play of light throughout the interior spaces.
WOJR’s approach begins with a bold gesture of restoration, re-burying the lower level into the hillside to restore the original topography. This intervention creates two distinct architectural experiences: above ground, a singular open space for gathering emerges, crowned by inverted elliptical vaults that reach toward the space’s perimeter. Below, a series of intimate chambers connect selectively to the landscape through sunken courtyards. The sculptural elements truly elevate this project beyond conventional residential architecture. At the heart of the upper level sits a fireplace carved from blocks of Vermont Danby marble—described by the architects as “one of the projects within a project.” This monolithic centrepiece anchors the open plan while serving as a functional focal point for family life. Equally striking is the cave-like bathing space below, supported by an ovoid column carved from stone. These marble elements blur the boundaries between architecture and sculpture, creating moments of quiet drama throughout the home.
Read MoreThe landscape design proves equally considered, with California native grasses, perennials, and live oaks returning the hillside to a wild state. This careful calibration of texture and tone extends the architectural experience across the changing seasons, creating what the architects describe as “a precisely tuned instrument to experience the world around.” Completed after seven years of development, the House of Horns is a sophisticated response to both site and circumstance. By embracing the existing foundation’s constraints rather than demolishing them entirely, WOJR has created a home that feels both ancient and contemporary, rooted in place yet forward-thinking in its approach to light, space, and material.
Text provided by the architects.
