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Houses
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Monday, 01 June 2009 04:54 |
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Nestled amidst a neighborhood of single story bungalows in Venice, California, the Solar Umbrella Residence boldly establishes a precedent for the next generation of California modernist architecture. Located on a 41’ wide x 100’-0” long through lot, the Solar Umbrella addition transforms the architects’ existing 650 square foot bungalow into a 1900 square foot residence equipped for responsible living in the twenty-first century.
Inspired by Paul Rudolph’s Umbrella House of 1953, the Solar Umbrella provides a contemporary reinvention of the solar canopy—a strategy that provides thermal protection in climates with intense exposures. In establishing the program for their residence, which accommodates the couple and their one child chose to integrate into the design, principles of sustainability that they strive to achieve in their own practice.
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Last Updated on Monday, 28 March 2011 10:28 |
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Houses
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Sunday, 02 December 2007 04:27 |
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A topography sculpted of folded, skewed metal planes, the Vail House by California based Brooks +Scarpa (formerly Pugh + Scarpa Architects), seems to enter into a love affair with the hill, blurring the boundaries between the natural and the artificial.
The design of the Vail House was generated by the integration of two disparate forces: the mundane requirements of the regulations imposed by zoning codes, economic constraints and the technical challenge of building on a steep hillside, and on the other hand the careful attention to the very specific condition of the site itself and to its surroundings. This made the architecture of the project a unique expression of the generic and the specific.
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Last Updated on Monday, 28 March 2011 10:32 |
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Houses
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Monday, 22 October 2007 01:54 |
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Dwell House II seeks to redefine the concept of a home into a flexible, multifunctional and adaptable space addressing the needs of today’s modern family, on a limited budget.
 Finding shelter and comfort through its access to the very environment that surrounds it, Dwell House II breaks the prescriptive mold of the traditional home by creating public and private “zones” in which private space is de-emphasized, in favor of large public living areas, with commanding views of the surrounding environment. Because the heating and cooling systems in both “zones” can be divided according to their public/private function, more efficient systems can be used, leading to a house which, upon completion, will set a new standard for innovation in design and sustainability. |
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Last Updated on Thursday, 26 May 2011 10:43 |
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Housing
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Tuesday, 18 August 2009 08:19 |
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Step Up on 5th is a bright new spot in downtown Santa Monica. The new building provides a home, support services and rehabilitation for the homeless and mentally disabled population.
The new structure provides 46 studio apartments of permanent affordable housing. The project also includes ground level commercial/retail space and subterranean parking.
A striking yet light-hearted exterior makes the new building a welcome landmark in downtown Santa Monica. Custom water jet-anodized aluminum panels on the main façade creates a dramatic screen that sparkles in the sun and glows at night, while also acting as sun protection and privacy screens. The material reappears as a strategic arrangement of screens on east and south-facing walls, lending a subtle rhythm to the exterior circulation walkways and stairs.
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Last Updated on Monday, 28 March 2011 10:35 |
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Housing
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Wednesday, 11 May 2011 09:03 |
As promised when we introduced the winners of the 2011 COTE Top Ten Green Projects by the American Institute of Architects, we will be posting individual stories about each project. The projects have already been featured in more details on AIA’s web site.
 Photograph ⓒ John Linden
We start with by Brooks+Scarpa’s Cherokee Studio in LA, an urban infill, mixed-use, market-rate housing project designed to incorporate green design as a way of marketing a green lifestyle. The project is pending LEED Platinum certification. The design maximizes the opportunities of the mild Southern California climate with a passive cooling strategy using cross-ventilation and thermal convection while taking advantage of the abundantly sunny location. A commitment to minimizing the project's ecological footprint informed all aspects of the design.
The main architectural feature of this project is the building's owner-controlled double-façade system. The occupant is able to adjust the operable screens of the building façade as necessary for privacy, views, shading, and thermal comfort. As a result, the facade is virtually redesigned "live" from within, responding to the occupants of the building in real time. The façade also enhances the existing streetscape and promotes a lively pedestrian environment. By visually breaking up the façade into smaller, articulated moving elements, the building appears to move with the passing cars and people. Like many features of the building, the façade is multivalent and rich with meaning, performing several roles for formal, functional, and experiential effect.
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 24 May 2011 16:33 |
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