Glass House on a Cliff - Page 2

The Main House extends out of the mountainside, with two courtyards, an arched fireplace, original built-ins, master bedroom, and one-and one-half baths. It features a 'living garden roof' created out of sod, and an arched skylight.

"When you go into the Main House you're actually going underground," Ford explains. "But when you enter the circular door, you feel like you expand into the outdoors because you enter a very large area. It's stunning, you have no idea!"

All three dwellings are passive solar homes. The Main House, Ford says, was intentionally built on the axis of the winter solstice so that the sun shines through the front door to the fireplace on the shortest day of the year.

"The Main House is a very comfortable temperature all year round because it's underground," Ford explains. And thanks to the skylight, the central space is warmed by a tremendous amount of light streaming in with an edible garden of citrus and banana trees basking in the sunlight.

Designed in collaboration with Muennig's daughter, Michele, the Caretaker's House is equally unique, and designed for ocean viewing from each of its multi-levels.

With his eco-friendly building style, and respect for the environment, George Kaye 'Mickey' Muennig made an indelible mark on Big Sur's architecture. A Missouri native, he graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1959, traveling to Bartlesville, Oklahoma to study with architect Bruce Goff in his studio in Frank Lloyd Wright's Price Tower.

In the early 1970s, Muennig came to Big Sur to attend a workshop at the Esalen Institute, and it was there he found his place in life. His Big Sur works include the Psyllos House (1988); the Post Ranch Inn (1988); Esalen Institute Baths (1998); the Hawthorne Gallery (1995); and the Pavey Residence (1998). The last two years of his life were spent in Thailand with his son and granddaughter.

When it comes to integrating architecture with nature, Mickey Muennig's homes border on mystical. "The homes pride themselves on being close to nature," Ford says, "and really are the epitome of 'getting real'... feeling the sun on our faces, feeling the dirt under our feet, enjoying the breezes, connecting with nature."

For more info on the Partington Ridge property, click here.