www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/8533-house-of-lovebeit-ha-ahava

House of Love/Beit Ha-Ahava

Los Angeles architect Bob Hale, of Rios Clementi Hale Studios, wrapped his Cheviot Hills house in a perforated-metal screen punched with the hebrew word for love.

May 16, 2013

The architect set the stucco ground level into the hillside and pushed the house back from the street.

Los Angeles

It's probably safe to bet that most architects have designed their dream house—on paper, in their heads—many times over. Bob Hale, of Rios Clementi Hale Studios, was lucky enough to make one of his iterations a reality in Los Angeles's Cheviot Hills neighborhood. The three-story, 5,000-square-foot house replaced a 1940s structure that could not be adapted (Hale donated the scrap material to Habitat for Humanity).

Set partially into a hill, the new house's concrete-masonry lower level contains a separate apartment with its own entrance. “We wanted to think about it as multigenerational,” says Hale, who has two grown children. The main living spaces on the second floor are encased in glass and lead to a terrace and pool. But it's the third floor, which appears to float, that provides the poetry. This steel-moment-and-wood-frame level is wrapped in corrugated-aluminum panels with perforations that spell ahava—“love” in Hebrew. “We tend to not open the screens because it's almost like they're not there,” says the architect. “They read more like a cloud and create great shadows.”

They represent something immaterial, too. His first wife of 23 years died in 2006, and, he says, “I was fortunate enough to fall in love again.” It is Hale's new wife, Maxine Morris, who had the idea for the ahava perforations. “It was like, OK, let's really start over and make a new way,” says Hale. “I didn't start out to make a home wrapped in love, but in fact that's what I ended up with.”

Completion Date: November 2012

Gross Square Footage: 5,000 square feet, including garage

Location: Los Angeles, CA

People

Owner:
Bob Hale, FAIA, Partner,
Rios Clementi Hale Studios Maxine Morris,
Director of Finance, Rand Corporation

Architect:
Rios Clementi Hale Studios
639 N. Larchmont Blvd., Ste. 100
Los Angeles, CA 90004
Ph: 323.785.1800
Fax: 323.785.1801

Personnel in architect's firm
who should receive special credit:
Bob Hale, FAIA, principal-in-charge
Anthony Anderson, associate (project architect)
CA Architect Aimee Less, associate (interior design) Elisa Read, designer (landscape architecture) Julien Harcc, graphic designer
(custom panel design)

Interior designer:
Rios Clementi Hale Studios

Engineer(s):
Structural: Niver Engineering

Civil Engineer: Incledon Consulting Group

Geotechnical: Grover Hollingsworth

Consultant(s):
Landscape: Rios Clementi Hale Studios

Lighting: E2 Lighting Design, Erin Erdman

Other: Metal Fabricator: Paul Jacobs - P.J Metal Worx,

General contractor:
Brett Shaw General Contractors

Photographer(s):
Undine Pr'hl
310-399-5031
UProhl@aol.com

CAD system, project management,
or other software used:
AutoCad & SketchUp

Products

Structural system:
Concrete Caissons w/ Gunite Retaining Walls Concrete Retaining Walls Masonry Foundations Walls Steel Moment Frames Wood Framing

Exterior cladding:
Masonry: Smooth Troweled Stucco over
Masonry & Retaining Walls.

Rainscreen:
Material: 040 Corrugated Aluminum, Mill Finish Milling: Precision Water Jet & Laser (Placentia, CA) Finishing: Anodizing Industries (Los Angeles, CA)

Moisture barrier: VaporShield

Roofing:
Built-up roofing:
White 'Cool Roof'
Carlisle Syntec - TPO

Windows:
Metal frame: Fleetwood: Westwood 250 Series

Glazing:
Skylights: Sun Valley Skylights

Doors:
Wood doors: Klauson Door & Window

Sliding doors: Fleetwood: 1070 EX Multi Slider

Hardware:
Locksets: FSB Hardware

Pulls: FSB Hardware

Lighting:
Interior ambient lighting: Boca Flasher & LED Power

Interior finishes:
Living/Dining Room :
Flooring: Classic Tile & Mosaic 'Basalt Stone' Sofa/loveseat: Ligne Roset 'Toga'
Sofa/loveseat fabric: Ligne Roset 'Toga'
Area rug: FLOR
Wood side chairs: Heywood-Wakefield
Shelving system: Custom Recessed Steel Shelves
Built-in credenza: Pico Cabinets
Dining Table: Room & Board
Chairs: Room & Board
Artwork in dining area: Flower Graphic Paintings by Ed Massey
Prints by Scott Reeds
Paints in Memory Wall & Box by Anne Greenwald
Green glass vase: Blenko
Recessed lighting: Elco
'Bulb' lights: Uplights by Eliptipar

Kitchen:
Flooring: Classic Tile & Mosaic 'Basalt Stone'
Cabinetry: Poggenpohl
Countertops: Super Thassos Glass Slab
Range: Bosch
Oven: Bosch
Microwave: Bosch
Concealed refrigerator: Miele
Concealed dishwasher: Miele
Sink: CECO ' Carter Hardware
Faucet: MSG ' Carter Hardware
Backsplash: Back Painted Glass
Cabinet hardware: Poggenpohl
Bar stools: Room & Board
Recessed lighting: Elco
Cabinet lighting: Poggenpohl
Espresso machine: Pavoni
Teapot: Alessi
Scale: Anthropologie

Family Room:
Flooring: Classic Tile & Mosaic 'Basalt Stone'
Sofa: The Sofa Company
Side chairs: CB2
Side table: notNeutral 'Ribbon Accent Table Short'

Rear Exterior:
Patio/pool surround pavers: 'Basalt Stone' -
Classic Tile & Mosaic Dog door: Security Boss 'Max Seal'

Balcony:
Railing: 'CableRail' & Custom Rain Screen
Chair on balcony: CB2

Master Bedroom:
Chair: 'Grasshopper Chair' by Eero Saarinen
Mirror: Room & Board
Recessed lighting: Elco
Window screen hardware: PJ Metal Worx
Flooring: Decorative Carpets

Master Bath:
Tub: 'Van Gogh' by Hydro ' Carter Hardware
Tub surround: Adana - Soli
Tub hardware: THG ' Carter Hardware
Cabinetry: Pico Cabinets
Tile: Soli / Ann Sacks
Fixtures: THG ' Carter Hardware
Mirror lighting: Dreamscape
Flooring: Soli
Basins: Kohler ' Carter Hardware
Faucets/fixtures: SuperGRIF ' Carter Hardware
Recessed lighting: Elco

Hallway/Stairway:
Banister: PJ Metal Worx
Screen: PJ Metal Worx
Paint (purple): 'Boone Nuit' ' Benjamin Moore
Paint (gray): 'Gettysburg' ' Benjamin Moore
Artwork (above landing): EBGI
Artwork (on lower level): Anne Greenwald

Laura Raskin, a former RECORD editor, writes about architecture. She recently moved with her family from Brooklyn, New York, to the Green Mountains of Vermont.