“In 1965, a group of young architects- inspired by the local Pomo Indians’ belief in “living lightly on the land”- began planning a community where the buildings blend with the terrain and instead of yards, there are “commons”: miles of shared fields, oceanfront and walking trails.
“It’s about experiencing the place rather than following a golf ball or something,” explains Sea Ranch architect Donlyn Lyndon. “One of the things most important about The Sea Ranch is that half of the land is held in commons. When you get a deed it describes your property and that you own an indivisible portion of the commons which is to say you can’t sell that, but you are an owner of the commons.”
Located two and a half hours north of San Francisco, The Sea Ranch covers 10 miles of rugged coastline. To preserve the coast for the community, the homes are built at least 100 feet from the cliff leaving room for a bluff trail (with public access points) along the entire stretch.”
Houses, part of environmental design? … I like the views, the common lands etc., but, the house design? no, too many box like, angular designs, that I personally do not find fit into the landscape very appealingly…. made of wood? fine, but those angular box-like shapes? no, sorry, not my cup of tea, and not a ‘part of the landscape’, as see it