American firm Walker Warner Architects has perched a basalt and cedar-clad holiday home in Hawaii on a mountainside of lava rock with an infinity pool that looks towards the sea.
Named Kua Bay Residence, the house overlooks its namesake on the coast of Kona.
An infinity pool sits between the terrace and the sea
The rooms and spaces of Kua Bay Residence are designed to seamlessly transition into one another, a concept informed by the way in which lava and water flow towards the Pacific Ocean.
"The challenge was to manipulate the site so that the house would blend with the landscape while providing a graceful and multi-layered experience from mountain to sea," said Walker Warner Architects.
A living area opens to the view
Visitors enter at a private driveway, built between dramatic 15-foot-high (5-metre-high) lava rock formations. The rugged landscape reduces Kua Bay Residence's visual impact from the road. The driveway leads to a sunken car park with a garage, which is hidden from the rest of the property by decorative Corten steel panels that also conceal a small guest house.
Alaskan yellow cedar contrasts with dark basalt
Covered by a green roof, the guest house blends into the lava rocks which tower over it.
"The roof is naturalised with lava rock and native grasses, which further emphasises the building's direct relationship with the site," explained the architecture firm.
The house features reflective pools
Large windows from the guest house's bedro...