In case you thought we forgot...
Woah... that was fast...In fact, Day 3 went by so fast that we missed one of the houses on the tour... Oy vey! We did walk through the other four examples of nouveau LA living, and there is plenty to observe and say about these abodes.
Here's the breakdown (with the skinny after the jump):
No gallery: Mi-Ca Residence
Jesse Bornstein Architecture
Gallery: Ocean Park Housing
Michael Folonis and Associates
Gallery: Santa Monica Prefab
Office of Mobile Design
Gallery: House of Sand
Lee + Mundwiler Architects
No Gallery: Our House
du Architects
Mi-Ca Residence by Jesse Bornstein Architecture
Yesterday (ya know, the day before... like 5 years ago or whenever CA Boom V was) we had already visited the Anderson Residence, designed by the same firm, and darn it if we weren’t allowed to take pictures in either location! The material palette and the overall layout and feel are quite similar between the two houses, even though this project is actually a remodel of a single-story bungalow. Again, large windows to fill the spaces with light, an open floor plan and innovative uses of materials on a very tight budget characterize this project.
Ocean Park Housing by Michael Folonis and Associates
Ocean Park Housing Gallery
This condominium development a couple of blocks away from the beach in Santa Monica had been under construction for quite a while, and we are happy to finally see it completed. The sculptural, metal-clad roof that cantilevers above seems a bit overly decorative until you find out that it was designed as a response to a Santa Monica city ordinance requiring roofs over 23 feet in height to be pitched. With this newly acquired knowledge the piece establishes itself as being reactive and almost post-modern in its nature. The materials palette of the three bedroom townhouse also leans towards an eighties color scheme, where black and cherry veneer TV stands and black leather couches enter our memory. Granted, the floors were actually made of reclaimed cherry wood, which is quite admirable, and the kitchen and bathroom counters are black Caesar stone (we think), but one could not shake the B.H. 90210 Beach House imagery in this environment. This building just seems like it was designed for an architectural discourse that took place 20 years ago, and since we are not sure when this project was initially designed...
Santa Monica Prefab by Office of Mobile Design
Santa Monica Prefab Gallery
We were very disappointed that Whitney Sander’s butler structure project had been taken off the list of houses to be visited (we were told that the owner was overwhelmed with the arrival of twins and thus... some other time, and hopefully soon!), so it made us all the more happy to see our fellow SCI-Arc alumnus Jennifer Siegal holding up the recently battered and bruised flag of the prefab movement. This particular structure is described as a "green, custom designed, and prefabricated home built locally in California." Unfortunately the house was nowhere near to being finished, and yours truly was forced to walk up sub floor stairs in socks. The sacrifice we make for our readers... Since many rooms were off limits, we had to request some pics from the architects directly, but the result of a very narrow and long layout seemed quite promising. In other words, we’d love to come visit when the space is finished. Until then, check out the pix that we were sent.
House of Sand by Lee + Mundwiler Architects
House of Sand Gallery
So every year there seems to be this one project… the stars align, the clouds open and a beam of light breaks through, the angels start singing… last year we were fascinated with Minarc, while this year: Lee + Mundwiler. OK, so it helped to not have to stick to a tiny little budget (I think I was told 400 per sq. ft., which is not little, but also not the world, people). It also helps that the client had every intention of living in this house until something changed and it now is found in the real estate section of the LA Times... and it really helps that a very good group of architects tinkered with this thing until it was just right. Stephen Mundwiler is Swiss, and the traditionally Alpine modernist, stark precision and celebration of materials and structural systems is omnipresent in this abode. Highly innovative uses of material, i.e. Paperstone as exterior wall cladding material, Polygal twin wall filled with sand (hence "House of Sand"...), industrial fiberglass decking above the lap pool, remote controlled metal louvers that protect the house from the busy street...
This place works, and I might have to ask for a raise soon just to put a bid on it.
Our House by du Architects
"Our house, in the middle of our street, our house, that is where we used to sleep..." Speaking of sleeping, they closed this place super early on Sunday, so we missed it. We do have some pics for you that we will be uploading ASAP. This would thus be considered the interactive part of the article, since you will be able to give us feedback about what you see on the photos...
Overall, CA Boom is improving from year to year, and it is a pleasure to see the success of this event. It was unfortunate that a couple of much anticipated projects were taken off the roster last minute, but luckily the organization managed to replace them with “oldies but goodies,” so everyone definitely managed to get their money’s worth in the end. Hopefully these same houses will be in a future lineup, at which point we will be ready to give you our “in depth” analysis! CA Boom and Out (finally).
Uh...