Los Angeles, California
Located on a hillside overlooking the Los Angeles basin, this project had a height limit of 16 feet, to maintain the panoramic views.
Design concept and solution: To design a 9,800-square-foot residence that could meet the neighborhood association’s zoning requirements, the architect excavated six feet underground, where amenities such as a home theater, playroom, office, and garage are located. Fundamentally based on a 20-by-25-foot structural module, the house’s simple L-shaped plan establishes a linear progression from the carport and entry through the living spaces, and out to the garden with views across the angled infinity pool. The building’s structural steel frame appears to suspend above the glass enclosed first floor, where the main living spaces, kitchen and dining areas, and some bedrooms, are located. Also clad in glass, the top floor with the master suite is protected from extreme sunlight by a series of custom designed vertical louvers, cleft from the same cement panel material that envelopes the home’s street façade. The central core and lily pond allow for circulation through the large aluminum sliders, while providing the interiors with an abundance of natural air and light filtered by the white cement panels that wrap the exterior. Other substantial materials used include architectural exposed concrete, travertine, exposed steel, plate steel, glass, and wood.