Concrete can wear many faces. In the wrong hands it goes cold and clinical, the stuff of a thousand Brutalist eyesores. But when made with skill, it becomes something else entirely, imbued with a tactile allure that's well suited for residential projects. This allure is largely responsible for the quiet, contemplative power of Phoenix House. In a seaside town some 25 miles north of San Diego, architect Sebastian Mariscal formed a structure of richly textured concrete that employs adroit massing, a carefully considered floor plan, and a diverse collection of outdoor spaces in a design that eschews grandiosity for intimacy.

It’s fitting that the owners, a married couple with three sons, felt drawn to this indestructible material. In October 2007, their traditional-style house fell victim to one of several wildfires that ripped through the San Diego area that fall. During the gut-wrenching months that followed, they considered buying a turnkey condo downtown or relocating to a different city entirely. Instead, they found themselves drawn to Cardiff-by-the-Sea, a century-old community with narrow winding streets featuring a dense and eclectic mix of homes clinging to bluffs along the Pacific Ocean. “We wanted a house that was a complete departure aesthetically from where we’d lived before, and we had the freedom to build one here,” said the husband.