Style of Design

© John Linden

Architects: SPF:a
Location: West Hollywood, CA, USA
Design Principal: Zoltan Pali
Principal: Judy Fekete
Project Manager: Anupama Mann
Collaborators: Matt Lunn, Mark Meyer, Yvonne Wong , Jamie Heitner
Structural Engineer: Norman Epstein
MEP Engineers: John Gautrey/ IBE Consulting Engineers
Landscape Engineers: Andrea Cochran/ Andrea Cochran Landscape Architecture
Project Area: 10,000 sqf
Project Year: 2010
Photographs: John Linden

From the street, the crisp, white Swisspearl panels that clad the Oberfeld Residence’s exterior rise a modest 18’ from the street, by code. Tucked away on the other side of the hill, a clean, modern 10,000-square foot home contains two main floors and a basement, a grand lawn, infinity pool, and spectacular view of the Los Angeles basin below.

The home’s grand entry boasts an oversized wood door, pivoting into a courtyard-like foyer, flooded with natural light. The space is deceivingly sheltered and indoors, and is punctuated at the far end by a serene lily pond framed in core-ten steel.

© John Linden

The house is cut into a steep hillside with large concrete retaining walls to hold up the hill behind. In plan, the structure is an L-shape, embracing the view across its angled infinity pool. Staring back at the house from its generous private landscape, a transparent glass main level is topped by the master and family bedrooms – also clad in glass, but shielded from the sun’s intensity by a series of custom-designed vertical louvers, cut from the same Swisspearl concrete panel material that screens the street façade of the home. The vertical louvers provide a unique architectural contrast to the building’s strong horizontal elements.

first floor plan

The interiors feature a myriad of luxury finishes and imported stone, atop textured Mafi wood floors throughout. The 5-bedroom, 6-bathroom and 2-powder room program includes family living quarters on the upper floor, and a guest suite or maid’s quarters on the first floor of the opposing wing. The master suite includes a private balcony overlooking the pool, and features a connected his and hers bathroom and walk in closet/dressing room, day lit by Solatubes – a product that channels indirect natural light into the space during the day, and contains electrical fixtures which can be illuminated at night. Tucked away in a level below the main living space are a home theater, home office, spa suite, guest quarters and wine cellar.

© John Linden

The living room is adorned with floor-to-ceiling, 13-foot high glass sliders, direct views of the city, and a wall-to-wall gas fireplace. A generous bar separates the living room from a more formal dining area, which spills out onto a trellised patio for indoor/outdoor dining occasions. A large kitchen area is located just on the other side of the dining room, providing a light separation that is desirable for entertaining. Outside, the overhang from the master bedroom creates a sheltered outdoor living room.

© John Linden

The composition of the home is fluid, blending indoor and outdoor spaces with subtle divisions and natural material integration throughout. Ample public and private areas make the home overwhelmingly livable – a private oasis, harmoniously nestled into its urban environment.

© Teruo Miyahara

Architect: Teruo Miyahara / Miyahara Architect Office
Location: Kanagawa, Japan
Structural Engineer: Akira Ouchi / S.FORM
Constructor: Junji Koike / Three Ef
Project area: 159.78 sqm
Project Year: 2004-2005
Construction Year: 2005–2006
Photographs: Teruo Miyahara

TN House is a residence that stands along the Tama River in western Tokyo. It was designed for two sisters and their respective families. Though the sisters may be close, they do have separate families and separate lives, and so living together is another matter. When designing this house, it was necessary to rethink the relationship of families and houses in an urban environment.

first floor plan

© Teruo Miyahara

The road in front of the site is extremely busy with a regular flow of trucks and other vehicles, and there are no satisfactory pedestrian pavements. Therefore, the site has its drawbacks including the tremor and exhaust emissions from the traffic. Even so, the families had chosen this place to build a house because it offers a marvelous view of Tama River. Meanwhile, the many factories and warehouses in the neighborhood are also an integral part of the local identity. For this reason, the exterior walls of House TN are made of material which is mainly used for factories and warehouses, and zinc-coated corrugated and perforated steel sheets which are usually used for civil engineering are used for the front of the building facing the road. These materials give off a slightly cold and metallic impression under the sun, but at night, the corrugated and perforated sheets disappear and the warmth of the rooms seeps out into the night air. The house may almost look like a factory by day but is a warm residence by night.

© Teruo Miyahara

The three-story building is designed to accommodate two families, on the left and right, with two staircases. The units both have their private rooms on the first and second floors and the living rooms on the third floor, but the interior of each house is designed in totally different tastes according to each family. The two units are called “the black house” and “the white house” from the color of their stairways. The living rooms on the third floor have folding doors that can be opened up so that the two families can use it as one large room to enhance lively communication. Meanwhile, the roof has what looks like a glass box called the Den Room, which is only large enough for one member of either family to enter. Here, it is possible to watch the horizon, meditate, and maybe learn something by gazing up at the stars, for it is only natural that people sometimes need some space to themselves.

© Teruo Miyahara

Architect: Teruo Miyahara / Miyahara Architect Office
Location: Kanagawa, Japan
Structural Engineer: Akira Ouchi / S.FORM
Constructor: Junji Koike / Three Ef
Project area: 159.78 sqm
Project Year: 2004-2005
Construction Year: 2005–2006
Photographs: Teruo Miyahara

TN House is a residence that stands along the Tama River in western Tokyo. It was designed for two sisters and their respective families. Though the sisters may be close, they do have separate families and separate lives, and so living together is another matter. When designing this house, it was necessary to rethink the relationship of families and houses in an urban environment.

first floor plan

© Teruo Miyahara

The road in front of the site is extremely busy with a regular flow of trucks and other vehicles, and there are no satisfactory pedestrian pavements. Therefore, the site has its drawbacks including the tremor and exhaust emissions from the traffic. Even so, the families had chosen this place to build a house because it offers a marvelous view of Tama River. Meanwhile, the many factories and warehouses in the neighborhood are also an integral part of the local identity. For this reason, the exterior walls of House TN are made of material which is mainly used for factories and warehouses, and zinc-coated corrugated and perforated steel sheets which are usually used for civil engineering are used for the front of the building facing the road. These materials give off a slightly cold and metallic impression under the sun, but at night, the corrugated and perforated sheets disappear and the warmth of the rooms seeps out into the night air. The house may almost look like a factory by day but is a warm residence by night.

© Teruo Miyahara

The three-story building is designed to accommodate two families, on the left and right, with two staircases. The units both have their private rooms on the first and second floors and the living rooms on the third floor, but the interior of each house is designed in totally different tastes according to each family. The two units are called “the black house” and “the white house” from the color of their stairways. The living rooms on the third floor have folding doors that can be opened up so that the two families can use it as one large room to enhance lively communication. Meanwhile, the roof has what looks like a glass box called the Den Room, which is only large enough for one member of either family to enter. Here, it is possible to watch the horizon, meditate, and maybe learn something by gazing up at the stars, for it is only natural that people sometimes need some space to themselves.

© Nazy Alvarez

Architects: Dennis Gibbens Architects
Location: Venice, CA, USA
Senior Project Architect: Oren Dothan
Project Architect: Ryan Turner
Lighting Consultant: Lux Populi
Audiovisual Consultant: Audio Video Experience
Structural Engineer: Taylor & Syfan Consulting Engineers
Concrete Contractor: Creative Masonry
Project Year: 2009
Photographs: Benny Chan, Nazy Alvarez, Ryan Turner

Abbot Kinney Boulevard is one of the main thoroughfares in the coastal neighborhood of Venice, a section of Los Angeles. The street contains a unique blend of restaurants, small boutiques, and one-of-a-kind retail establishments, along with single-family houses, apartments, and live-work spaces for artists-in-residence.

ground floor plan

second floor plan

third floor plan

This mixed-use project is situated in the middle of a stretch along the boulevard known for its many recent examples of architectural experimentation. The ground floor houses parking and a single retail tenant; the two upper floors contain a single-family residence. The public residential spaces are on the second floor surrounding a private courtyard. The third floor contains bedrooms and a large exterior dining and entertainment deck.

© Benny Chan

© Benny Chan

The entire shell of the building is constructed of board-formed poured-in-place concrete. Other exterior walls are glass or stucco – non-corrosive materials practical for their use near the ocean. The roughly textured surfaces of the concrete – both inside and out – contrast sharply with the smooth and highly refined finish materials, which include tile, stone, stainless steel, stained woods, and smooth terrazzo floors.

© Nazy Alvarez

Architects: Dennis Gibbens Architects
Location: Venice, CA, USA
Senior Project Architect: Oren Dothan
Project Architect: Ryan Turner
Lighting Consultant: Lux Populi
Audiovisual Consultant: Audio Video Experience
Structural Engineer: Taylor & Syfan Consulting Engineers
Concrete Contractor: Creative Masonry
Project Year: 2009
Photographs: Benny Chan, Nazy Alvarez, Ryan Turner

Abbot Kinney Boulevard is one of the main thoroughfares in the coastal neighborhood of Venice, a section of Los Angeles. The street contains a unique blend of restaurants, small boutiques, and one-of-a-kind retail establishments, along with single-family houses, apartments, and live-work spaces for artists-in-residence.

ground floor plan

second floor plan

third floor plan

This mixed-use project is situated in the middle of a stretch along the boulevard known for its many recent examples of architectural experimentation. The ground floor houses parking and a single retail tenant; the two upper floors contain a single-family residence. The public residential spaces are on the second floor surrounding a private courtyard. The third floor contains bedrooms and a large exterior dining and entertainment deck.

© Benny Chan

© Benny Chan

The entire shell of the building is constructed of board-formed poured-in-place concrete. Other exterior walls are glass or stucco – non-corrosive materials practical for their use near the ocean. The roughly textured surfaces of the concrete – both inside and out – contrast sharply with the smooth and highly refined finish materials, which include tile, stone, stainless steel, stained woods, and smooth terrazzo floors.

© Teruo Miyahara

Architect: Teruo Miyahara / Miyahara Architect Office
Location: Ibaraki, Japan
Structural Engineer: Toyohito SHIBAMURA
Constructor: Toshikazu Onuma / Aoi Kensetsu Kougyou
Building area: 105.50 sqm
Project Year: 2007–2008
Construction Year: 2008–2009
Photographs: Teruo Miyahara

House Sz is a residence designed for a couple in their thirties.

The goal was to provide a living environment with a rich atmosphere that is open, inwards and out, through the implementation of two different courtyards.

floor plan

With four walls set at necessary intervals, the residence is divided into three major zones – private, public, and “plus alpha” zones –and each of these zones is segmented into individual spaces and functions using two courtyards and glass walls. The private zone is divided into the main bedroom, bathroom, courtyard, and hobby room, with the courtyard serving as a buffer to maintainprivacy. The public zone is comprised of the main room, courtyard, and garage, and extends across the front road to the foliage of the park. Here, the courtyard serves as an instrument to open the residence towards the surroundings. Meanwhile, the plus alpha zone through the centre of the residence, besides being the core circulation route that connects all the spaces, serves as a gallery with 30-metre wall space. The floor is laid with concrete slabs and coated with a glossy protective layer, giving the space a special ambience. It is as if it’s a mysterious cave that leads on and on, or a passage in Paris that guides people to new discoveries. Thus, we named this the “passage gallery.”

© Teruo Miyahara

section

Furthermore, the roofs of both the private and public zones slope down towards the inner courtyard, designed so that the rooms can enjoy as much sky as possible. In particular, for the view of the trees in the park to the west of the dining room and living room, the garage roof is careful designed so it is as thin and unobtrusive as possible to provide the best scenery.

© Teruo Miyahara

The maple tree in the courtyard will provide different colours for each season, adding to the residents’ pleasure. So does the residence itself give pleasure? I hope that it is able to provide nearly as much happiness as nature can bring.

© Teruo Miyahara

Architect: Teruo Miyahara / Miyahara Architect Office
Location: Ibaraki, Japan
Structural Engineer: Toyohito SHIBAMURA
Constructor: Toshikazu Onuma / Aoi Kensetsu Kougyou
Building area: 105.50 sqm
Project Year: 2007–2008
Construction Year: 2008–2009
Photographs: Teruo Miyahara

House Sz is a residence designed for a couple in their thirties.

The goal was to provide a living environment with a rich atmosphere that is open, inwards and out, through the implementation of two different courtyards.

floor plan

With four walls set at necessary intervals, the residence is divided into three major zones – private, public, and “plus alpha” zones –and each of these zones is segmented into individual spaces and functions using two courtyards and glass walls. The private zone is divided into the main bedroom, bathroom, courtyard, and hobby room, with the courtyard serving as a buffer to maintainprivacy. The public zone is comprised of the main room, courtyard, and garage, and extends across the front road to the foliage of the park. Here, the courtyard serves as an instrument to open the residence towards the surroundings. Meanwhile, the plus alpha zone through the centre of the residence, besides being the core circulation route that connects all the spaces, serves as a gallery with 30-metre wall space. The floor is laid with concrete slabs and coated with a glossy protective layer, giving the space a special ambience. It is as if it’s a mysterious cave that leads on and on, or a passage in Paris that guides people to new discoveries. Thus, we named this the “passage gallery.”

© Teruo Miyahara

section

Furthermore, the roofs of both the private and public zones slope down towards the inner courtyard, designed so that the rooms can enjoy as much sky as possible. In particular, for the view of the trees in the park to the west of the dining room and living room, the garage roof is careful designed so it is as thin and unobtrusive as possible to provide the best scenery.

© Teruo Miyahara

The maple tree in the courtyard will provide different colours for each season, adding to the residents’ pleasure. So does the residence itself give pleasure? I hope that it is able to provide nearly as much happiness as nature can bring.

Architects: Jose Maria Sáez y Daniel Moreno
Location: La Mariscal, Quito, Ecuador
Collaborator: David Barragán, Arquitecto
Structural Engineer: Herberto Novillo
Interior Design: Ricardo Luque y Jorge Marcos
Contractor: Jaime Quinga
Clients: Ricardo Luque y Jorge Marcos
Project Area: 258 sqm
Project Year: 2008
Photographs: José María Sáez, Daniel Moreno, David Barragán y Gabriela Delgado

Thanks to Abitare who discovered this new project in Ecuador.

The intervention gives continuity to the restaurant and it is shown as a showcase to see and be seen. The floor works as the same time as platform, scenery and a place to sit. Outwards, a metal box frame the indoor activities that are crossed by an existing tree, a tree that becomes an object with an iconic presence. The project intensifies all the existing, as the tree, or recycles itself almost entirely.

original floor plan

actual floor plan

The existing building walls are cut with a grinding machine and moved to become the new walls. The wooden roof rises up and prolongs itself strengthened by external tensors. The structure above the roof allows a large and continuous space in the inside just with a single support.

The strong personality of La Boca del Lobo restaurant is shown in the broadening. As a collage, three strips of different materials (red recycled metal, religious iconography tile, the bar made of undressed lumber) arranges a baroque scenery composed by people and objects designed by the clients themselves.

Architects: Jose Maria Sáez y Daniel Moreno
Location: La Mariscal, Quito, Ecuador
Collaborator: David Barragán, Arquitecto
Structural Engineer: Herberto Novillo
Interior Design: Ricardo Luque y Jorge Marcos
Contractor: Jaime Quinga
Clients: Ricardo Luque y Jorge Marcos
Project Area: 258 sqm
Project Year: 2008
Photographs: José María Sáez, Daniel Moreno, David Barragán y Gabriela Delgado

Thanks to Abitare who discovered this new project in Ecuador.

The intervention gives continuity to the restaurant and it is shown as a showcase to see and be seen. The floor works as the same time as platform, scenery and a place to sit. Outwards, a metal box frame the indoor activities that are crossed by an existing tree, a tree that becomes an object with an iconic presence. The project intensifies all the existing, as the tree, or recycles itself almost entirely.

original floor plan

actual floor plan

The existing building walls are cut with a grinding machine and moved to become the new walls. The wooden roof rises up and prolongs itself strengthened by external tensors. The structure above the roof allows a large and continuous space in the inside just with a single support.

The strong personality of La Boca del Lobo restaurant is shown in the broadening. As a collage, three strips of different materials (red recycled metal, religious iconography tile, the bar made of undressed lumber) arranges a baroque scenery composed by people and objects designed by the clients themselves.

aerial view

Architects: Plan B Arquitectos (Felipe Mesa) + Giancarlo Mazzanti
Location: Urbanización Aposentos, Sabana de Bogotá, Colombia
Collaborators: Viviana Peña, Jose Orozco, Jaime Borbón, Andrés Sarmiento, Juan Pablo Buitrago
Contractor: Jaime Pizarro
Structural Engineer: Nicolás Parra
Design Year: 2006-2007
Construction Year: 2008-2009
Photographs: Rodrigo Davila

House to enjoy a native garden and the distant view of a wetland in Sopo county, nearby Bogota.

a. Risks

geometry diagrams

floor plan

Unfold the house along the high slope of the plot, avoiding the volumetric presence in favor of a branched horizontal extension. Link the deformable molecular configuration of the glass with the geometric arrangement of the house.

b. Geometry

© Rodrigo Davila

The molecular structure of glass, flexible and modular will define the geometric structure of the plant and the transformations that occur in the design process. The specific facts of the plot, and the particular client’s lifestyle will be stresses and strains in the above structure.

c. Branches

© Rodrigo Davila

Like the branches of a tree, the house falls over the site, and branches into two arms that separate the program into different heights: above, the social arm, bridge and terrace, and down the arm to private rooms and services. The main trunk is a library that starts the journey staggered from the house.

d. Separation

© Rodrigo Davila

The arms are separated in two ways: the inner courtyard distances them through a native garden, and different heights allow that the zero level (ground level) of the former falls into place at roof level of the other. These two actions allow the ramifications to equally enjoy the distant view of the lake.