Project profile: Solar Umbrella House

Inspired by Paul Rudolph's Umbrella House of 1953, the Solar Umbrella House was designed to establish a precedent for the next generation of California modernist architecture. Many design features at the Solar Umbrella are multivalent and rich with meaning, performing functional, formal, and experiential roles.

The original 450-ft2 house was completed in 1924, and 200 ft2 were added in 1934. No other work was done until the new owners bought the house and remodeled the 650 ft2 in 1997. In 2005, the owners added 1,150 ft2.
(2006 AIA/COTE Top Ten Green Projects recipient)