El Pueblo Ribera Court L O C A T I O N : L A J O L L A, C A L I F O R N I A
A R C H I T E C T : R. M. S C H I N D L E R
YEAR:1923-1925
El Pueblo Ribera Court was a multi-dwelling complex, designed by Rudolph Schindler as 12 individual units to be rented out as vacation homes in the 1920’s. Schindler argued there should be no separation between the interior and exterior environment. In Pueblo Ribera it is clear to see the integration of environment and architecture. The roof terraces were covered with a suspended trellis; it’s accessed by an outdoor stairway and was meant to be used as a living and sleeping space and for viewing the ocean. The units of the Pueblo Ribera were composed through hierarchical circulation diagrams, the main objective was to have the most privacy between the units. The units all include a private outdoor patio/ garden space. The first concept for the Pueblo Ribera is the creation and composition of the units through hierarchical circulation diagrams. Each unit has a main central area with two lateral masses on either end. The stairs are outdoors suggesting south western influences from pueblos occupied by Native Americans such as the Sinagua tribe; In the same manner that these villages had their ladders on the outside connecting rooms the Pueblo Ribera circulation mimics this gesture. Another concept was to design a unit with the most privacy and still have great views. Each unit is U-shaped with a roof terrace, which provides the most privacy and still offers views to the ocean. Because of the topography, the roof terraces don’t get in the way of each other. The final concept for the Pueblo Ribera is the application of the architecture as landscape and the integration between site and structure. The architectural gestures and materials applied compliment each others tonality of site and structure. The complex nestles into the topography and the as already stated, each unit has a private garden and consisted of suspended trellises which further help in blending with the landscape. The materials that were applied in these units were concrete, (local sand for some aggregate), redwood and glass.
redwood; the smaller ones are 2x 4 redwood. Railing B of 1” redwood boards. FloorCconstruction: 2” concrete slab on wiremesh composition roof and Celotex, resting on 3 x 8 redwood joists spaced at 24” on center.
H
Puebla Ribera A Trellis. The major beams are 2 x 8 redwood; the smaller ones are 2x 4 redwood. A
B Railing of 1” redwood boards.
DETAIL & MATERIAL
H
C Floor construction: 2” concrete slab on wiremesh composition roof and Celotex, resting on C 3 x 8 redwood joists spaced at 24” on center.
D D Glass set between 2 x 14 redwood beams. This supports the joists above the spans E F G between concrete walls.
A Trellis. The major beams are 2 x 8 redwood; the smaller ones are 2x 4 redwood.
A H
A B Railing of 1” redwood boards. B Floor construction: 2” concrete C The Trellis. major beams areslab 2 xon8wiremesh composition roof and Celotex, resting on redwood; the smaller ones atare 4 redwood. 3x8 redwood joists spaced 24” 2x on center. C
E 3 x 8 redwood fascia.
GlassD set between 2 x 14 redwood beams. between concrete walls.
B
H C D E F
A
G
G
3 x 8Eredwood fascia.
Construction of low roof: composition roof on F 1” boards supported by 2x 4 redwood beams 24” on center.
G Sliding wood-and-glass door. H Cast-in-place concrete wall. This was built using slab-cast system.
Sliding G wood-and-glass door.
2” concrete slab on wireC Floor construction: 3 x 8Eredwood fascia. mesh composition roof and Celotex, resting on Construction of low roof: composition roof on F 3 x 8 redwood joists spaced at 24”beams on center. 1” boards supported by 2x 4 redwood
Cast-in-place concrete wall. This was built H using slab-cast system.
24” on center.
between 2 x 14 redwood beams. D Glass set Sliding G wood-and-glass door. This supports the joists above the spans Cast-in-place concrete wall. This was built H between concrete walls. using slab-cast system. E 3 x 8 redwood fascia.
B
D
G Sliding wood-and-glass door. H Cast-in-place concrete wall. This was built using slab-cast system.
ILLA
GRAV
ST.
MAR
G
DEL VISTA
F Construction of low roof: composition roof on 1” boards supported by 2x 4 redwood beams 24” on center.
C
E F
E F
GlassD set between 2 x 14 redwood beams. This supports the joists above the spans between concrete walls.
F Construction of low roof: composition roof on 1” boards supported by 2x 4 redwood beams 24” on center.
D of 1” redwood boards. B Railing This supports the joists above the spans A
B
AVE.
CONCEPTS
UNIT COMPOSITION
V I E WS
SITE TOPOGRAPHY
PRIVACY
VIEWS / PRIVACY
Major Walls and Slabs Structural Elements Private Spaces
ARCHITECTURE & LAND INTEGRATION
1 2 3
5
UNIT CONFIGURATION I FACING WEST
UNIT CONFIGURATION II FACING SOUTH
4 6
UNIT CONFIGURATION III FACING EAST
(6) 2 U N I T Z O N E S FACING EAST
UNIT CONFIGURATION IV FACING NORTH
PUBLIC SPACE PRIVATE SPACE
SITE CIRCULATION
Puebla Ribera
RO O F T E RRACE
RM-3-7 permits a maximum density of 1 dwelling unit for each 1,000 square feet of lot area
PRIVATE SPACES ROOFTOP TERRACE AND PATIO
VIEWS
GEOMETRY GROUND LEVEL
2ND F L O O R
MATERIAL ENCLOSURE [PERIMETER] 2ND LEVEL
STRUCTURE
C O N C R E T E S LA B S
G RO UND F L O O R
GROUND FLOOR PLAN
PRIVATE SPACES FRONT LAWN GARDEN
Puebla Ribera PROGRAM
Second Floor
Patio
V I C I NI T Y MAP
First Floor Porch
Closet
Living Space
Kitchen
Bathroom
Roof Terrace
Nook
Bedroom
Living Room
Closet
SCALE
0
10’
COMPOSITION
ORENTATION AND BOUNDARIES
PRIVATE INDOOR PRIVATE OUTDOOR
VIEWS
Puebla Ribera
"The sense for the perception of architecture is not the eyes—but living. Our life is its image."
— Rudolph M. Schindler
L E V E L IV
L E V E L III
L E V E L II
LEVEL I
"Throughout the twenties Schindler continued to experiment with concrete. After using tilt-slab construction in the King's Road house, in 1923 he tried out concrete poured in movable forms for an inexpensive garden court, the 12-unit Pueblo Ribera Courts in La Jolla....Excellent plot plan arranged the units so that the masonry walls of one served as garden enclosure for another...Schindler did not approach a minimum house from the point of view of how much could be left out; he exercised the strictest economy on structure so that he could indulge in what he considered the vital luxuries of life. Here the luxuries were three different types of living areas: indoors, enclosed court and roof terrace, each communicating naturally with the others. In the lift-form concrete system he achieved an organic whole out of an aggregation of small units. The form work was both ingenious and simple." — Esther McCoy. Five California Architects. p161-163.