El Pueblo Ribera Court, designed by Rudolph Schindler between 1923 and 1925, is a multi-dwelling complex in La Jolla, California consisting of 12 vacation rental units. The design emphasizes integration with the environment, featuring outdoor stairways, roof terraces, and private garden spaces to promote privacy and ocean views. Schindler's innovative use of materials and structural design reflects a balance between economy and comfort, creating a blend of architecture and landscape.

1. El Pueblo Ribera Court L O C A T I O N : L A J O L L A, C A L I F O R N I A A R C H I T E C T : R. M. S C H I N D L E R Y E A R : 1 9 2 3 - 1 9 2 5
El Pueblo Ribera Court was a multi-dwelling complex, designed by
Rudolph Schindler as 12 individual units to be rented out as vacation
homes in the 1920’s. Schindler argued there should be no separation
between the interior and exterior environment. In Pueblo Ribera it is clear
to see the integration of environment and architecture. The roof terraces
were covered with a suspended trellis; it’s accessed by an outdoor
stairway and was meant to be used as a living and sleeping space and for
viewing the ocean.
The units of the Pueblo Ribera were composed through hierarchical
circulation diagrams, the main objective was to have the most privacy
between the units. The units all include a private outdoor patio/ garden
space. The first concept for the Pueblo Ribera is the creation and
composition of the units through hierarchical circulation diagrams. Each
unit has a main central area with two lateral masses on either end. The
stairs are outdoors suggesting south western influences from pueblos
occupied by Native Americans such as the Sinagua tribe; In the same
manner that these villages had their ladders on the outside connecting
rooms the Pueblo Ribera circulation mimics this gesture. Another concept
was to design a unit with the most privacy and still have great views. Each
unit is U-shaped with a roof terrace, which provides the most privacy and
still offers views to the ocean. Because of the topography, the roof
terraces don’t get in the way of each other.
The final concept for the Pueblo Ribera is the application of the
architecture as landscape and the integration between site and structure.
The architectural gestures and materials applied compliment each others
tonality of site and structure. The complex nestles into the topography
and the as already stated, each unit has a private garden and consisted of
suspended trellises which further help in blending with the landscape. The
materials that were applied in these units were concrete, (local sand for
some aggregate), redwood and glass.

2. H
B
C
Puebla Ribera
C O N C E P T S
H
UNIT COMPOSITION PRIVACY VIEWS / PRIVACY ARCHITECTURE & LAND INTEGRATION
S I T E T O P O G R A P H Y
Major Walls and Slabs
Structural Elements
Private Spaces
H
A
B
C
D
E F
G
Trellis. The major beams are 2 x 8
redwood; the smaller ones are 2x 4 redwood.
Railing of 1” redwood boards.
Floor construction: 2” concrete slab on wire-mesh
composition roof and Celotex, resting on
3 x 8 redwood joists spaced at 24” on center.
Glass set between 2 x 14 redwood beams.
This supports the joists above the spans
between concrete walls.
3 x 8 redwood fascia.
Construction of low roof: composition roof on
1” boards supported by 2x 4 redwood beams
24” on center.
Sliding wood-and-glass door.
Cast-in-place concrete wall. This was built
using slab-cast system.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
A
B
C
D
E F
G
Trellis. The major beams are 2 x 8
redwood; the smaller ones are 2x 4 redwood.
Railing of 1” redwood boards.
Floor construction: 2” concrete slab on wire-mesh
composition roof and Celotex, resting on
3 x 8 redwood joists spaced at 24” on center.
Glass set between 2 x 14 redwood beams.
This supports the joists above the spans
between concrete walls.
3 x 8 redwood fascia.
Construction of low roof: composition roof on
1” boards supported by 2x 4 redwood beams
24” on center.
Sliding wood-and-glass door.
Cast-in-place concrete wall. This was built
using slab-cast system.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
A
B
C
D
E F
G
redwood; the smaller ones are 2x 4 redwood.
Railing of 1” redwood boards.
Floor construction: 2” concrete slab on wire-mesh
composition roof and Celotex, resting on
3 x 8 redwood joists spaced at 24” on center.
Glass D
set between 2 x 14 redwood beams.
This supports the joists above the spans
between concrete walls.
3 x 8 E
redwood fascia.
Construction F
of low roof: composition roof on
1” boards supported by 2x 4 redwood beams
24” on center.
Sliding wood-and-glass door.
Cast-in-place concrete wall. This was built
using slab-cast system.
G
H
H
A
B
C
D
E F
G
Trellis. The major beams are 2 x 8
redwood; the smaller ones are 2x 4 redwood.
Railing of 1” redwood boards.
Floor construction: 2” concrete slab on wire-mesh
composition roof and Celotex, resting on
3 x 8 redwood joists spaced at 24” on center.
Glass set between 2 x 14 redwood beams.
This supports the joists above the spans
between concrete walls.
3 x 8 redwood fascia.
Construction of low roof: composition roof on
1” boards supported by 2x 4 redwood beams
24” on center.
Sliding wood-and-glass door.
Cast-in-place concrete wall. This was built
using slab-cast system.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
GRAVILLA ST.
VISTA DEL MAR AVE.
D E T A I L & M A T E R I A L
VIEWS

3. U N I T C O N F I G U R A T I O N I
FACING WEST
U N I T C O N F I G U R A T I O N I I
FACING SOUTH
U N I T C O N F I G U R A T I O N I I I
FACING EAST
U N I T C O N F I G U R A T I O N I V
FACING NORTH
1
2
3
4
5 6
(6) 2 U N I T Z O N E S
FACING EAST S I T E C I R C U L A T I O N
P U B L I C S P A C E
P R I V A T E S P A C E

4. Puebla Ribera
RM-3-7 permits a maximum density of 1 dwelling unit for each
1,000 square feet of lot area
P R I V A T E S P A C E S
ROOFTOP TERRACE AND PATIO V I E W S G E O M E T R Y
M A T E R I A L E N C L O S U R E [ P E R I M E T E R ]
2ND LEVEL
GROUND LEVEL
C O N C R E T E S LA B S
S T R U C T U R E
ROOF TERRACE
2ND FLOOR
GROUND FLOOR

5. G R O U N D F L O O R P L A N P R I V A T E S P A C E S
FRONT LAWN GARDEN

6. Puebla Ribera
P R O G R A M
Second Floor
Porch
Kitchen
Nook
Living Room
Closet
Bathroom
Bedroom
Closet
Living Space
Roof Terrace
Patio
First Floor
S C A L E
VICINITY MAP
0 10’
C O M P O S I T I O N P R I V A T E I N D O O R
P R I V A T E O U T D O O R
V I E W S
ORENTATION AND BOUNDARIES

8. Puebla Ribera
L E V E L IV
L E V E L III
L E V E L II
L E V E L I
"The sense for the perception of architecture is not the eyes—but living. Our life is its image."
— Rudolph M. Schindler
"Throughout the twenties Schindler continued to experiment with concrete. After
using tilt-slab construction in the King's Road house, in 1923 he tried out concrete
poured in movable forms for an inexpensive garden court, the 12-unit Pueblo Ribera
Courts in La Jolla....Excellent plot plan arranged the units so that the masonry walls
of one served as garden enclosure for another...Schindler did not approach a
minimum house from the point of view of how much could be left out; he exercised
the strictest economy on structure so that he could indulge in what he considered
the vital luxuries of life. Here the luxuries were three different types of living areas:
indoors, enclosed court and roof terrace, each communicating naturally with the
others.
In the lift-form concrete system he achieved an organic whole out of an aggregation
of small units. The form work was both ingenious and simple."
— Esther McCoy. Five California Architects. p161-163.