Diane Middlebrook Studios by CCS Architecture

Arrayed on a meadows in over 600 acres of rolling hills just outside Woodside, the Diane Middlebrook Studios is an artist-residency under the Djerassi Resident Artists Program.

Architects: CCS Architecture
Location: San Mateo County, California, USA
Photographs: Paul Dyer

It consists of four tiny wood cabins sharing a freestanding steel roof, all are aimed at the rural Santa Cruz Mountains and the uninterrupted views of the Pacific coast, but skewed a few degrees from each other.

These 26 sqm one-room cabins are compact, the main area for working receives warm southern sun, sleeping nooks are behind, away from the strong light.

The project was conceived as a memorial to Diane Middlebrook, an accomplished writer and teacher, and late wife of program founder Carl Djerassi. The studios are designed for month-long residencies by artists of all disciplines, in particular writers, poets, composers and playwrights.

Inspiration from architect:

The cabins were designed to foster the creative process but also create a micro-community for the writers within the ranch. With visual and acoustical privacy, each has its own epic view and stand in close proximity under a unifying roof.