Architecture Wednesday: The Rotation House

Yes, it’s a round house and yes, it spins. It’s like the Jetson’s condo building crash landed on Earth and it’s still inhabited.

This San Diego home, which rotates 360 degrees atop Mount Helix, was designed by owners Al and Janet Johnstone in 2004 to capture the panoramic vistas. The Rotating House is set across two levels and was a self-build project for the couple, who had no previous experience building or designing. After creating the blueprints, their design was reviewed by structural engineers, and the Johnstones set about constructing it.

A powerful motor drives wheels along a steel track, rotating the floor in a 360-degree motion. A full rotation takes between 33 minutes to 24 hours, depending on the speed preference of the inhabitant, and the house can move in both directions.

The circular volume is the primary living space, with floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room, kitchen and four bedrooms with views that range from the Pacific Ocean to downtown San Diego, the Coronado Bridge, Cowles Mountain, Mount Palomar, and the Cuyamaca Mountains.

A kitchenette, two garages and guest accommodation are housed on the first level that does not move, and there’s also a finished basement, rounding out to 4,700 sq ft.

It’s not everyone’s taste. I like the idea but the finishings in this house aren’t for me and neither are some of the color choices. Peach? No.

And lastly, who needs a house that spins? After a few too many Bob-a-Ritas my rectangular house in Camden also spins … without a motor!

 The Spaces