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Montecito Residence by Barton Myers Associates a Three-Time Winner

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Barton Myers Associates is a large firm with many more commercial and public planning projects than private residential houses.

And in the award-winning Montecito House the firm is exploring use of the the kind of mass-produced, time-saving building technologies that you more typically see in high quality commercial buildings.

The firm saw this project – gorgeously photographed by the astounding Ciro Coelho – as an opportunity to explore developing mass-produced housing using steel construction and standardized off-the-shelf industrial components.

Photographed for another site, you immediately see that the transparent structure looks almost like some kind of gigantic bus stop or gas station – in a strange new world in which bus stops and gas stations are noble,  glamorous and architecturally dignified.

Despite the standard commercial construction technologies used, the house really has a serene and civilized air. The appealing mix of translucency, stone and steel is handled graciously.

Despite its architectural distinction, the house celebrates the eternal pleasures in life – like taking a bath in the open fresh air.

Last year, the Montecito Residence won both the Golden Nugget Award for Best Residential over $1.5 million – as well as the Santa Barbara Independent Best Custom Home Under 5,000 Sq feet.

And this year, Architectural Record has selected Barton Myers Associates’ Montecito Residence as one of six Record Houses for 2011. “In their selection of RECORD Houses, the editors seek both innovative design and timeless architectural responses to the residential program.”