The Eames House sits on a large elevated plot (with views of Santa Monica Bay and the Pacific Ocean), among some large existing eucalyptus trees, which the architects decided to preserve, since it would provide “a beautiful play of light, shadows and reflections to the building that was wanted to be built.” Indeed, the eucalyptus trees filter the light, forming part of the construction itself.
The result of the cooperation of the Eames couple consists of two adjoining double-height buildings, one used as a residential area, and the other as a studio-workshop. Both standardized and self-constructed volumes respond to a clear intention to simplify the definition of a house. This house built of steel and glass and standard construction elements are designed to create an economical, modern and do-it-yourself design model. However, the resulting aesthetic of the house became a precursor model of the high-tech architecture of the 70s. The “disorderly disorder” of the interior that combined the artisanal with the new, the expensive with the humble, and the exotic with the familiar, became the Eames' personal brand. The house also has a delicate irregularity that reflects the interest in traditional Japanese wooden houses.
The structure of the Eames House was installed in just 90 hours, using steel and composite structures, as well as a small concrete retaining wall. Demonstrating the possibilities offered by industrial technology both in the manufacture of materials and in the adoption of construction methods, the house was entirely assembled with prefabricated elements that, including steel, glass, asbestos and cement panels, They followed a modular system. This house is an example of a modular home that is easy to manufacture and assemble.
CURTIS William. J. La arquitectura moderna desde 1900. Edit. Phaidon. Hong Kong, 2006. 3ª edición en español. 1ª edición 1986 (edición original 1982) pág.404
CURTIS William. J. La arquitectura moderna desde 1900. Edit. Phaidon. Hong Kong, 2006. 3ª edición en español. 1ª edición 1986 (edición original 1982) pág.404
CURTIS William. J. La arquitectura moderna desde 1900. Edit. Phaidon. Hong Kong, 2006. 3ª edición en español. 1ª edición 1986 (edición original 1982) pág.404