On this beautiful plateau, high on a ridge of the Santa Monica Mountains overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the intention was to respond with an elemental design that strengthens a connection to nature on a vast scale while navigating the natural topography and sculptural rock outcroppings with deft precision.
This two story home is our first in Venice California and our two young clients gave us one simple directive: “don’t f*ck it up”. Given such freedom, we created a solid mass punctuated by welcoming voids.
The Line Lofts is an 82-unit residential building located in one of Los Angeles’ most active development corridors. Situated along Las Palmas Avenue just steps away from Hollywood and Highland, the six-story project infills an 182-foot x 127-foot lot to become the tallest new construction in the neighborhood.
Formerly the site of a traditional Venice bungalow, this new 2 story residence respects the scale of the 3600sf parcel with an efficient organization of programs. The “shotgun” style ground floor plan is flanked by a linear courtyard which mirrors the interior social spaces and functions as an outdoor living room.
The Kingsland House project is an extensive remodel and addition to an existing house built in the 1940’s on a steep Lot with expansive views to the South. The complete renovation includes re-framing the entry, providing a more open kitchen and a new stairwell connection to the Lower Floor.
Starting with a vacant lot with a very steep down-slope from the street, the design of the Car Park house places the carport on the roof with the residence below. In addition to being a dramatic shift of expectations, it is also a logical response to the building code which requires parking for two vehicles.
Rear Window House, the private family residence of Edward Ogosta, AIA, is a discreet yet decidedly modern addition and remodel to a 1944 bungalow in an area abundant with intact dwellings of the same era.
The Wonderland Park Residence is nestled in the famous hills of Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles, CA. The Wonderland Park area is a special enclave of mid-century residences that include neighbors such as Case Study #21 by Pierre Koenig built in 1959.
The owners proposed LEED Platinum certification and Net Zero Energy for House of Earth and Sky. With that as a starting point, the project strove to integrate ecological responsibility holistically into the design, such that sustainability performance and architectural expression become one inseparable whole.
Accessible only by winding gravel roads, the site for High Horse Ranch in California’s Mendocino County is full of steep slopes and open meadows. The owners were struck by the dramatic experience of approach and arrival, where the edge of a cliff falls away and reveals a panoramic view of the forested valley below.
Tucked into a low valley, next to a creek, this Mill Valley modern home was in need of some serious design love. Our clients, an environmental attorney, his wife and two kids purchased the house knowing they wanted to do an extensive renovation of both the house and grounds.
One of our San Francisco clients had a dream of building a self- sustaining cabin on 1000 acres of pristine wilderness he owned just West of Mount Lassen. An avid hunter from his days growing up in Colorado, our client had spent years hunting on the property, and sleeping in an old Fleetwood trailer.
