Leveraging existing sites with underutilized zoning allows for smart and dynamic growth without the risks associated with changes to the city plan. This project explores how a concentrated and intensified approach to residential urban infill development can still incorporate intimacy, nature, and dynamic architecture.
The project begins with nature as the focal point for geometry. Two separate pieces of architecture respond to a tree that is positioned on the site. The arrangement of spaces is further curated to allow corresponding views; the exterior of both structures is further shaped as it dynamically acknowledges interior desires of personal view, all the while remaining protected from adjacency forces. The realization: a concept of privacy despite proximity.
The architecture twists to both frame and protect views. This design, along with the strategic use of landscape and topography, creates a sequence of shared and private spaces that efficiently supports multiple users. The result is a new urban experience that is uncommon in a ubiquitous Los Angeles. Together, but separate. Sharing without exposure.
The Vis-á-Vis House received a Citation Award at the 2020 AIA|LA Residential Architecture Awards.
