Clifftop House Maui

Windsurf sail designer Robert Stroj moves from Europe to Maui to lead the design research studio of Neil Pryde in Kahului, Maui. It is in the middle of the ocean, far away from almost everything. The home in such an environment becomes crucially important. Besides being just a home, this house also works as a social venue for the owners. Therefore the kitchen and the dining form the centre of the house. The concept defines several ’houses’ under a common roof. Each separate ‘mini house’ is a U-shaped volume in order to open up and frame the perfect ocean view. The houses are self-contained private units combining bedroom and bathroom as an en- suite double room. A fluid public space between enclosed private volumes serves for cooking, eating, lounging… The roof concept is strongly related to the rough climate, with lots of sun and strong ocean winds. The area of the roof is twice the size of the house, so the size of the covered outdoor space equals the size of the indoor space. It needs no air- conditioning, since it is cross ventilated throughout. The folded roof is carefully attached to the walls of the U-shaped volumes and defines specific spaces. It also serves as a folded wooden sky deck and materially and topologically integrates the house with the landscape. Only local materials are used for the finishing of the house.