Gehry Residence Floor Plan |top| Review
Inside the Layers: Decoding the Frank Gehry Residence Floor Plan The Gehry Residence
Before we look at the blueprint, we must understand the constraint. In 1977, Frank Gehry purchased an existing pink bungalow. He was not allowed to demolish it due to zoning laws and budget restrictions. His solution? He stripped away the interior finishes, exposed the studs and joists, and then wrapped the old house in new, chaotic forms.
The entry sequence of the house is a deliberate act of spatial disorientation. Upon entering, visitors find a core circulation spine that provides access to the living areas, the first-floor bedrooms, and the upper level. This strategic layout creates a continuous flow between the old and the new.
Gehry treated his own home as a "laboratory," using cheap, everyday materials to challenge suburban norms and creating "disturbing" yet satisfying spaces. Industrial Aesthetics:
The upper level of the Gehry Residence houses the private quarters, including the bedrooms and bathrooms. Here, the floor plan reflects Gehry’s ongoing battle with the rigid geometry of the original Dutch Colonial roofline. The Master Bedroom and Art Studio gehry residence floor plan
The bedrooms and family spaces on this level interact directly with the new architectural skin. Windows pierce through the corrugated metal wrap at unusual angles, offering framed, unconventional views of the surrounding Santa Monica neighborhood.
The Gehry Residence is not a house; it is a piece of architecture arguing with itself. The floor plan is the transcript of that argument. It is loud, messy, brilliant, and permanently reshaped how we think about the space we live in.
Strategically placed to create angles, particularly in the skylights, allowing for dramatic light, while other windows allow for glimpses into the garden. 4. Privacy and Context
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When Frank Gehry purchased a conventional, two-story pink Dutch Colonial bungalow in Santa Monica, California, in 1977, he didn't just plan a renovation. He initiated a radical experiment that would redefine residential architecture. The resulting project, known as the (completed 1978), is a landmark of deconstructivism , where the floor plan acts not just as a layout of rooms, but as a deliberate collision of materials, forms, and philosophies .
Locate where Frank Gehry explains his design choices.
The ground floor is where the tension between the old and new structures is most intensely articulated. It serves as the primary public and social zone of the house. The Entry and Kitchen Envelope
The ground floor plan is where Gehry’s "house-within-a-house" concept is most legible. He left the original bungalow largely intact but "edited" its walls by stripping away plaster to reveal the raw wood studs and framing. His solution
Traditional residential floor plans prioritize clear circulation pathways—hallways, doors, and transitional foyers that separate public zones from private zones. The Gehry Residence rejects this hierarchy in favor of a fluid, cinematic progression.
One of the most distinctive features of the Gehry Residence is its use of levels and spatial relationships. The house has multiple levels, with some areas sunken or raised, creating a sense of layering and visual interest.
There is no central axis or symmetrical hallway guiding you through the home. The floor plan forces a non-linear path of travel, requiring inhabitants to navigate a series of twists, turns, and shifting floor levels.
Instead of tearing down the existing suburban home, Gehry left the core structure largely intact. He then built a new, angular exterior shell around the front and sides of the original building. This creates a unique double-layered floor plan where former exterior walls now serve as interior partitions, and new interstitial spaces serve as the primary living areas. Spatial Organization by Level
Gehry stripped away the plaster on many of the interior walls of the old house. On the floor plan, these walls remain as spatial dividers, but visually, they are see-through screens of raw wood studs.