The final word on the Sunday CA Boom Home Tour
Less talk, more walk you say? Well what are ya waitin' for, buckaroo?!(You know the drill, click project name for photo galleries, descriptions after the jump):
- Greenfield Residence
Minarc-Architects - Courtyard House
Ripple Design (Tom Robertson)
Greenfield Residence
Minarc-Architects
OK: everything leading up to this house today was a dry run. The Greenfield Residence is a house designed by the (mostly) Icelandic firm Minarc-Architects, and the principals of the firm live in it with their two infant children. The house is situated in a classical "temple on the mount" position, quite a few feet above the semi-suburban streetscape of Mar Vista. We took a couple of pictures from the street, then walked straight into the security guard who had the pleasure of informing us that no photography was allowed. DISASTER! We had been looking forward to this impeccably designed green residence,
Tryggvi Thorsteinsson and Erla Dogg Ingjaldsdottir (try saying that three times in a row), proclaimed to not have used any "paint, chemicals, carpet or tiles" (we did not see any of the above either), and to have wanted to design high-tech modern home that only used materials "in their most organic form and that used recycled materials wherever possible." Mr. T. mentioned "effortless design" a couple of times, and, indeed, the house felt effortless. The flow of spaces and succession was logical and created pleasant environments, the materials palette was innovative without trying too hard or hitting you over the head, and the subtlety in which everything was detailed and brought together triggered a smile on our faces in almost every room. The kitchen cabinetry surface is made of recycled tires, the exterior skin is cement board, the cantilevering steps are "underlined" with a narrow, horizontal window, begging the question of how the steps are supported, and the translucent floor to ceiling sheet of glass at the master shower, the teak wood inserts, the exterior roof deck surrounded by volcanic stone... we could go on and on (run-on sentence, get it?).
Tryggvi
Courtyard House by Ripple Design (Tom Robertson)
Minarc was a hard act to follow. The effortless green grace of the Greenfield Residence stood in stark contrast with the obvious intellectual effort displayed in the Courtyard House. A very awkward hillside lot with (I think) 15’ of height differential (could have been more, I forgot) in a very "quaint" neighborhood serves as the site for this complicated yet very intriguing structure. Tom told us that the owner requested a house that should resemble a loft, while offering lots of nooks and crannies for art and collections of this and that, and that it should fit into its surroundings and not clash too much with the Cape Cods and Mediterranean mansions across the street... Add green ambitions and very sculptural design ideas that Ripple Design had in mind, and you get the Courtyard House.
Barragan’s legacy appears to be prevalent in most of the projects today, and the toned down, almost anonymous exterior of this residence is clearly reminiscent of a couple of houses I've seen in Mexico City. The procession leads you through a nicely designed gate, up a flight of orangey red tiled stairs, and there you are in the namesake of the residence. Everything revolves around the central courtyard, and you will have to look at the pictures to get a clearer idea of what is happening, since this house is very hard to describe. Tom explained ecological approach by comparing other eco-houses to hybrid cars, while his house is a bicycle. Well said, and the omnipresent nana walls (for the last time) blur the line between inside and outside spaces to an extent where you are really not quite sure anymore where one ends and the other begins. Have a look at the kitchen windows, which can be closed and opened in a bunch of different configurations, and you get an inkling of the intellectual design problem solving work that went into every aspect of this project. It is more like a sculptural green machine, with custom built ins, radiant floor heating, carefully studied orientation for maximum passive cooling and heating, and an overall gallery-like feel to it. A very cool and hip gallery!
OK, off the soapbox I go. Thanks again and big respect to Charles and team CA Boom