Michael Holliday — Architect

“It is a humbling and grateful feeling to see a project designed to fit its natural setting, and to have played a significant role in making the project happen. As an architect, that is most rewarding.”

— Michael Holliday, architect


This fire rebuild project rose from the ashes of the 2013 Jesusita Fire, therefore all primary building elements were designed to be non-combustible, conforming to strict fire requirements. There also is a serious nod to sustainability and energy efficiency in the project design. Geothermal heating and cooling systems, radiant floor heating, passive ventilation of living spaces, and a creative selection of LED fixtures all contribute greatly to the home’s small ecological footprint. The owners, a husbandand-wife team of general contractors, have been frequent collaborators with Holliday and granted him freedom to design a new home he thought best for the extraordinary site. But securing design approval and entitlements in Santa Barbara can be a challenge for any modern project located on a promontory site. To address this concern, Holliday met personally with immediate neighbors to receive their input and support for the project’s design.

As an interesting note, Holliday’s father, Jim Holliday AIA, was an architect who introduced his son to the imitable style of Paul Rudolph FAIA. This house in many ways embraces the essence of Rudolph’s early modern work evidenced by the Case Study Homes of the late 1950s and ’60s in California and Florida — albeit with modern technology, energy efficiency, and enhanced living accommodations. In a sense, three generations of Hollidays helped bring the Spyglass Ridge Residence into being, making both the home and the partnership two opportunities that may only come around once in a lifetime.

Photography by Erin Feinblatt

Photography by Erin Feinblatt

Photography by Erin Feinblatt