Larry Scarpa grew up in Florida, where the heat and humidity kept him indoors.

The clients of this 3,160-square-foot house—one a visual artist and both serious art collectors and former gallery owners—wanted a small, energy-efficient home that embraced the rural setting.

A 5,800-square-foot house nestled into the hillside on Mulholland Drive offers clear views of the San Fernando Valley, as well as relief from western sunlight.

Situated on a 4.5-acre plot, the 85,000-square-foot 57-unit affordable housing complex was commissioned by the Coachella Valley Housing Coalition, a nonprofit, low-income housing developer in southern California.

On a steep 25-acre site near Sonoma, California, two scientists harvest some of the bounty from their vegetable gardens, olive trees, and beehives to deliver to a Michelin-starred restaurant in San Francisco.

Step through the filigreed entry gates, and you've clearly entered another world.

A 1960s postcard shows a Newport Beach, California, building in its early heyday.

A 55,000-square-foot addition to Berkeley's law school, with a library spanning two subterranean levels and, above ground, a single-story pavilion housing a caf', a student lounge, and a classroom.

Founded in 1925, the Claremont Colleges occupy a connected series of leafy, low-rise campuses about 30 miles from downtown Los Angeles.