STACK 50
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CALLE LOS ARBOLES
HILLSIDE DEVELOPMENT OF 18 SINGLE FAMILY HOUSES
The project proposes a subdivision of 18 lots for possible development of single family houses along Calle los Arboles.
Because the property is currently zoned as S80 (Open Space), we are proposing a development with low density and with minimal grading impact in particular on the sloped areas.
We want to respect the existing site drainage, maintaining and keeping "open space" all the existing drainage easements and proposing a development in
We are proposing 3 types of houses that would provide quality of living similar to the existing single family neighboring developments, but with a reduced lot coverage and minimal impact to the land -in particular on the sloped areas. This allows also a substantial visual permeability along Calle los Arboles towards the panoramic views.
SUNSET HOUSING
NEW HOUSING VISION FOR THE SUNSET AREA OF SAN FRANCISCO - Housing+ San Francisco 2050 Design Competition
THE GOAL IS TO INCREASE THE DENSITY WITHOUT SACRIFICING THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND TO PROVIDE AN UPLIFTING DESIGN FOR THE LIVING SPACES.
THE "TUNNEL ENTRY" TYPOLOGY IS RE-INVENTED AT A NEW URBAN SCALE WITH A CENTRAL COURTYARD TO INFUSE THIIS IN-FILL CONTEMPORARY MULTI-FAMILY BUILDING WITH AIR AND LIGHT.
• THE CENTRAL COURTYARD DISTRIBUTES ALL THE UNITS, PROVIDING THEM WITH MAXIMUM EXPOSURE TO THE FRONT AND BACK WITH CROSS-VENTILATION.
• THE COURTYARD CONNECTS DIRECTLY THE COMMON OPEN SPACE OF THE ROOF TOP TERRACE TO THE PUBLIC REALM OF THE STREET.
• AT THE GROUND FLOOR, THE BUILDING MASSING IS LIFTED UP TO CREATE A POROUS BUILDING THAT PROVIDES A DIRECT VIEW FROM THE STREET TO THE BACKYARD. THIS STRATEGY CREATES THE OPPORTUNITY FOR A GRAND PORTAL ENTRY THAT CAN BE DESIGNED AS A FRAGMENT, IN POSSIBLY DIFFERENT STYLES, IN JUXTAPOSITION TO THE BUILDING ARCHITECTURAL LANGUAGE. THE NEW ARCHITECTURE BREAKS THE MONOTONY OF THE URBAN FABRIC AND ANIMATES THE PEDESTRIAN’S WALKING EXPERIENCE.
• THE COURTYARD (DESIGNED TO PRESERVE THE PRIVACY OF THE UNITS) PROMOTES INTERACTION AND FLOW INTO THE COMMON OPEN SPACE AND ENRICHES THE SOCIAL LIFE WITHIN THE BUILDING.
• THIS COURTYARD SCHEME MAXIMIZES AIR AND LIGHT WHICH ARE THE BEST RESOURCES FOR ENERGY SUSTAINABILITY.
FOR SUCH A NARROW IN-FILL LOT, THE BUILDING NEEDS TO BE DESIGNED WITH ONLY ONE EXIT TO ACHIEVE AN EFFICIENT DISTRIBUTION AND CREATE GENEROUS LIVING UNITS.
AS PER CBC, WE CAN HAVE A MAXIMUM OF 3 STORIES AND ROOF TOP WITH ONE EXIT
(CBC 1006.2.1, CBC 503.1.4, CBC 505.2).
CREATING 1/ 3 AREA MEZZANINE - WHICH DOES NOT COUNT AS A STORY - WE CAN BUILD AN EXTRA LEVEL AND ACHIEVE AIRY LIGHT-FILLED SPACES AND UTILIZE THE BUILDING VOLUME AND HEIGHT.
ALL UNITS HAVE 1 ACCESSIBLE BATHROOM AS PER CBC CHAPTER 11A.
THE ARCHITECTURE EMPHASIZES THE BAY WINDOW IN A CONTEMPORARY WAY, SHAPING AND MODULATING AT FULL WIDTH THE ENTIRE FACADES.
THE VOLUME IS SIMPLE, FINISHED IN VERTICAL SIDING (CEDARWOOD SHOWN); THE ALUMINIUM WINDOWS ARE DOUBLE-HUNG TYPE, IN LIGHT BRONZE ANODIZED COLOR.
THE TOWER IS A LOGICAL EXTENSION OF THE OCTAGONAL SHAPE, DERIVED FROM THE BAY WINDOW.
THE FACETED OCTAGONAL CONE ROOF IS AN EFFICIENT GEOMETRY FOR THE 360° ORIENTATION OF PHOTOVOLTAIC SOLAR TILES.
THE GRAND PORTAL IS PROPOSED IN EXPOSED BOARDFORM CONCRETE.
SEATING ON PABLITA
Pablita is a minimal and unexpected combination of wood, carbon fibre, leather and steel used with the utmost simplicity and structural expression. It is the result of countless prototypes and experiments to provide a three legged chair with a “suspended” and “Hung” leather seat. The single transversal element is the carbon tube connection, which with its torsional resistance, is calibrated to such a degree as to avoid typical low crosspieces between the legs and obtain a light and visually refined chair. The backrest is formed by the extension of the rear leg “T” along with the inserted steel coupling which adds architectural sense to the design. The image and the composition of parties and sculptures reminiscent of Picasso’s lines. Hence the name Pablita!
128 SOUTH CARSON ROAD - HOUSE
4500 SF HOUSE
IN THE CENTRAL AREA OF BEVERLY HILLS
5 BEDROOMS, 6 BATHS
STADIUM G. MEAZZA, SAN SIRO
PROPOSAL San Siro Nuovo Stadio Meazza – Project summary.
The project is a “creative enhanced conservation”; this is a concept that goes beyond the simple renovation.
The idea is to enhance the existing iconic architecture with important additions and modifications that radically transform the stadium, but keeping its identity and even reinforcing its iconic image in a new architectural composition.
The project is characterized by a colonnade as “giant order” all around the existing stadium. Black columns and beams closed with a skin in ETFE or glass which can be illuminated from within in blue or red, creating with the actual architectural elements the iconic colors of Inter and Milan.
The magnificent original Meazza structure is painted white and accentuated by contrast as architecture within architecture inside the new transparent/ translucent envelope, forming a new contemporary and unique building.
For the third time a new structure is added around Stacchini’s 1925 building, the enlargement by Calzolari-Ronca in 1953 and the incredible and beautiful construction designed by Ragazzi in 1989. The stadium remains as the fantastic super-scale object immersed in the greenery of the new designed park, which mitigates the relation with the residential buildings of the area. It is important that the park stays at the level of the surrounding urban fabric to preserve the correct urbanistic relation with the entire San Siro area.
In the Trotter area, we imagine the grand new “Piazza dei Campioni” which maintains the memory of the historic Trotter footprint.
The new stadium becomes part of the architecture that forms the piazza together with the curved cantilevered buildings
and the tall residential tower (approx. 27,000 m2 of retail and 245,000 m2 of residential and or offices if necessary) .
The exterior escalators give access to the “belvedere commercial level” at the third ring. The Vietti Stables are maintained and renovated with the new escalators that are inserted as a contrast between new and old. New multilevel underground parking structure is located under the piazza. Even under the Parco dei Capitani we can have new underground parking accessible through the underpass Patroclo.
An alternative option shows the new stadium integrated with the garden/residences plan through a reduced “Piazzetta dei Campioni”.
The project is developed using strategically the existing ramps and the existing circulation exit system. The new slab of the concourse is connected at the entrance to the second ring from the ramps that surround the stadium.
The double-height voids are scalloped around the helix ramps, the different entrances and the perimeter columns.
At the new concourse of approx. 25,000 m2 there are the volumes of the new bathrooms (imagined as pedestals for statues of the most representative champions of the history of Inter and Milan) and the commercial concessions for retail, food and beverage characterized by roof covers wrapped in digital displays. The concourse provides all the amenities for the comfort and services enjoyed before and during the game, as in the new contemporary stadia which generate all the additional profits per nowadays standards.
On the east side, where the third ring is currently left open, we designed the new “belvedere floor towards the city”.
Approx. 11,000 m2 of possible commercial functions, restaurants, museums etc. (to be defined with the most appropriate program) accessible also directly from the “Piazza dei Campioni” through the exterior escalators. This area would be open every day regardless of football games. At this level, on the east side the façade is operable and can be opened towards the city.
The entry floor of the stadium is raised at the level of the existing entry of the “distinti” (see sections) above the ground boxes. We create a grand raised entrance with monumental stairs from the park. The concourse at the first ring is approx. 30,000 m2 with the volumes of the new bathrooms (imagined as pedestals for statues of the most representative champions of the history of Inter and Milan) and the commercial concessions for retail, food and beverage characterized by roof covers wrapped in digital displays.
A reflecting pool around the new platform makes the new architecture as if “floating” on the park. This reflecting pool also defines a separation for security reasons and allows the safe management of the entrances. The VIP entrances would be created descending from the park to the existing underground floor (see sections).
The spaces currently used for bathrooms at the first and second ring can be reprogrammed and reconfigured as service operation spaces, or they can be used to improve the sky boxes and sky lounges.
The sky boxes and sky lounges can be extended even at the orange, blue and green sectors at the first ring.
If necessary, the steps at the third ring can be re-prefabricated with slightly larger dimensions with a capacity reduction of approx. 20% and moved approx. 10 meters inwards, closer to the field, slightly overlapping the second ring.
The new envelope is structurally independent from the existing stadium structure.
Because the new project maintains strategically the existing ramps as basic circulation, the construction can be organized by phases keeping the stadium open during construction similarly as it was done in 1998/99 (see drawings with the schematic job site phases). Only the third ring would be kept closed for the entire duration of the new construction with the possibility of working “from the top” with cranes mounted on the third ring structure (either on the four corner towers or on the big boxed beam that supports the steps).
San Siro Nuovo Stadio Meazza – Descrizione sommaria di progetto
Il progetto consiste in una “creative enhanced conservation” o “conservazione creativa accentuata” --- un concetto che supera la mera conservazione o ristrutturazione. Si vuole valorizzare l’ architettura esistente migliorandola con aggiunte importanti e inserimenti opportuni che la trasformano radicalmente, mantenendone intatta l’identita’,
e addirittura rafforzandola in una nuova composizione.
Il progetto e’ caratterizzato da un colonnato ad “ordine gigante” tutto intorno allo stadio esistente. Colonne e travi nere chiuse da una pelle di ETFE o vetro che si puo’ illuminare di azzurro o rosso creando con l’architettura stessa gli iconici colori dell’ Inter e Milan. Dentro il nuovo involucro trasparente, la magnifica struttura del Meazza, interamente pitturata di bianco, risalta in contrasto, come un’ architettura nell’ architettura creando una nuova costruzione contemporanea e unica.
Per la terza volta una nuova struttura si aggiunge ad avvolgere l’edificio dello Stacchini del 1925, l’ ampliamento
Calzolari-Ronca del 1953 e l’incredibile bellissima costruzione del Ragazzi del 1989.
Lo stadio resta il fantastico “fuori-scala” immerso nel verde del nuovo parco che mitiga la relazione con gli edifici del quartiere. E’ importante che il parco mantenga il livello del tessuto urbano circostante per avere la corretta relazione urbanistica con tutto il quartiere San Siro.
Nell’ area del trotter e’ prevista la grande nuova “Piazza dei Campioni” con il disegno in pianta che mantiene la memoria dell’ impronta dello storico impianto del trotto. Il nuovo stadio diventa parte dell’ architettura che forma la piazza insieme agli edifici curvi aggettanti e alla alta torre residenziale (circa 27,000mq di retail e 245,000mq di residenze e/o uffici se necessari). Le scale mobili esterne danno accesso diretto al “piano belvedere commerciale” al livello del terzo anello. Le Scuderie Vietti sono mantenute e ristrutturate con le nuove scale mobili che si inseriscono per contrasto tra vecchio e nuovo. Sotto alla piazza si prevedono parcheggi multilivello sotterranei. Anche sotto al Parco dei capitani si possono prevedere parcheggi sotterranei accessibili dal sottopassaggio Patroclo.
Un’ opzione alternativa integra il nuovo stadio con il piano attuativo a residenze nel verde creando una ridotta “Piazzetta dei Campioni”.
Il progetto si sviluppa considerando e sfruttando le rampe esistenti e il sitema di circolazione/ uscite esistente, connettendo strategicamente la soletta della concourse del secondo anello all’entrata alle gradinate delle rampe che avvolgono lo stadio.
I vuoti a doppia altezza sono “ricamati” intorno alle rampe elicoidali, tra le diverse entrate e tra le colonne perimetrali.
Sulla nuova concourse di circa 25,000mq si collocano i volumi dei nuovi bagni (immaginati in finitura oro come piedistalli di statue dei campioni piu’ rappresentativi della storia di Milano) e le concessioni commerciali di ristoro e retail con coperture avvolte da digital displays. Tutto per il comfort prima e durante la partita come nei contemporanei stadi attuali.
Sul lato est, dove il terzo anello e’ correntemente lasciato aperto, c’e’ il nuovo “piano belvedere sulla citta’”.
Circa 11,000 mq di possibile centro commerciale, ristoranti,museo etc..(da definire con il programma piu’ idoneo) anche accessibile direttamente dalla nuova “Piazza dei Campioni” con scale mobili esterne e che funzionerebbe sempre, anche quando lo stadio non ospita partite.
Si prevede la possibilita’ di poter aprire tutta la facciata est verso la citta’.
Il piano di ingresso allo stadio viene rialzato al livello della esistente entrata dei distinti (vedi sezioni) cosi’ che resta al di sopra dei ground boxes. Si stabilisce una entrata monumentale con scalinate dal parco. Qui la councourse di servizio al primo anello e’ di circa 30,000 mq con i volumi dei nuovi bagni (immaginati in finitura oro come piedistalli di statue dei campioni piu’ rappresentativi della storia di Milano) e le concessioni commerciali di ristoro e retail con coperture avvolte da digital displays. Uno specchio d’acqua stacca la “piattaforma” dal parco e fa’ “galleggiare” l’architettura (oltre a creare una separazione per questioni di sicurezza e gestione delle entrate). Entrate VIP si possono prevedere scendendo dal parco al piano interrato (vedi sezioni).
Gli spazi attualmente usati per i bagni esistenti al primo e secondo anello possono essere riprogrammati per spazi di supporto alle operazioni di servizio o essere usati per migliorare sky boxes e sky lounges.
Gli sky boxes e sky lounges possono essere estesi anche nel settore arancio, blue e verde al top del primo anello.
Le gradinate del terzo anello potrebbero essere ri-prefabbricate a gradoni piu’ larghi riducendone la capacita’ del 20% circa e costruendole circa 10 metri piu’ indentro, piu’ vicine al campo, di poco sovrapposte al secondo anello.
Strutturalmente il nuovo involucro e’ indipendente dalla costruzione esistente.
Siccome il progetto mantiene le rampe esistenti come base di circolazione, il cantiere puo’ organizzarsi in fasi concentrate nel periodo off season per l’inizio dei lavori e mantenendo aperto l’impianto durante la costruzione come si e’ verificato nel 1988/89 (vedi disegno con schema per fasi di cantiere). Solo il terzo anello si puo’ mantenere chiuso per tutta la durata della costruzione con la possibilita’ di lavorare “dall’alto” con le gru montate sulla struttura del terzo anello (sulle 4 torri agli angoli e o sulla trave a cassone che sorregge le gradinate).
SAN CRISTOFORO PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE
COMPETITION ENTRY FOR PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE OVER THE NAVIGLIO GRANDE IN MILAN, ITALY
The proposed bridge is light, slender reaching toward the two parts of the city with “cantilevered belverdere(s)” that transform the mere going through experience of a raised walkway in a places for being.
The overall bridge is divided in two single truss sections perpendicular to the railroad and the Naviglio, connected with a strut supported platfoorm that becomes a sort of “city portal” for the people arriving in San Cristoforo from the subway station.
The single trusses are simple, sharp, clear, iconic and minimal architectural marks flying over the landscape piercing the greenery of the park and the urban fabric on the horizon. By contrast, the spiral ramps and the stairs coming down to the ground are organically integrated in the vegetation spiralling through the trees and minimizing the interference with the built environment.
The WHITE color chosen for the steel as a reference to the aesthetic of naval architecture as a dialogue with the canal / river. The “cantilevered belvedere(s)” can recall the bow of a ship.
The solution of the single central truss and the thin girder platform create minimal artefact with a strong contemporary architectural identity. Also this solution relates to the tradition of the old boxed truss bridges on the Naviglio, full of memories and characteristic of this industrial part of town.
Thanks to its character, the bridge is now a site, a place; not just a connection.
The long cantilevers (18.60 M) are also structurally extremely important. They generate a negative moment that contributes to the efficency of the truss for the large span. The sought and found proportion that solves the structural and structural rhythm, is the golden section.
The architecture and the structure of the bridge is “felt and lived” by the passerby. The truss defines on either side the path for bikes and pedestrians. People seat around it at the belvedere(s).... it is a new experience. The floor of the platform is GREEN; an optimistic and joyful color; unique for Milan.
The bridge is illuminated with a continous linear led fixture integrated in the upper chord that illuminates the vertical and diagonal braces. There is also a led strip in the handrail all along: the simple steel rod balaustade becomes a luminous ribbon in the dark.
The thin tapered walkway platform and the upper cord stay in the dark, and the structure seams more abstract and iconic in the milanese night.
The overall bridge is divided in two single truss sections perpendicular to the railroad and the Naviglio, connected with a strut supported platfoorm that becomes a sort of “city portal” for the people arriving in San Cristoforo from the subway station.
The single trusses are simple, sharp, clear, iconic and minimal architectural marks flying over the landscape piercing the greenery of the park and the urban fabric on the horizon. By contrast, the spiral ramps and the stairs coming down to the ground are organically integrated in the vegetation spiralling through the trees and minimizing the interference with the built environment.
The WHITE color chosen for the steel as a reference to the aesthetic of naval architecture as a dialogue with the canal / river. The “cantilevered belvedere(s)” can recall the bow of a ship.
The solution of the single central truss and the thin girder platform create minimal artefact with a strong contemporary architectural identity. Also this solution relates to the tradition of the old boxed truss bridges on the Naviglio, full of memories and characteristic of this industrial part of town.
Thanks to its character, the bridge is now a site, a place; not just a connection.
The long cantilevers (18.60 M) are also structurally extremely important. They generate a negative moment that contributes to the efficency of the truss for the large span. The sought and found proportion that solves the structural and structural rhythm, is the golden section.
The architecture and the structure of the bridge is “felt and lived” by the passerby. The truss defines on either side the path for bikes and pedestrians. People seat around it at the belvedere(s).... it is a new experience. The floor of the platform is GREEN; an optimistic and joyful color; unique for Milan.
The bridge is illuminated with a continous linear led fixture integrated in the upper chord that illuminates the vertical and diagonal braces. There is also a led strip in the handrail all along: the simple steel rod balaustade becomes a luminous ribbon in the dark.
The thin tapered walkway platform and the upper cord stay in the dark, and the structure seams more abstract and iconic in the milanese night.
1951 BEVERLY GLEN, LOS ANGELES
SINGLE FAMILY HOUSE OF 3000 SF WITH 4 BEDROOMS, 5 BATH, ROOF TOP TERRRACE
The design presents an alternative take on the typical houses constructed on a high-traffic street, like Beverly Glen Drive, on a narrow lot in a hillside area.
The building is comprised of simple volumes and characterized by the use of translucent “double channel glass” window walls interposed with floor-to-ceiling clear glass windows composed like a music score in a vertical pattern on all elevations. The play of natural light with the translucency and transparency of the punctures is the defining characteristic of the architecture. The large roof top terrace is like a “ship deck” on the hills.
The translucent double channel glass (4” thick assembly) is also a response to the need of limiting traffic noise and keeping privacy while creating a natural light-filled interior.
The main staircase volume is expressed on the front of the house and becomes a “light tower” leading to the roof top.
The structural support rising from a reflective shallow pool in the front is designed as a minimal sculptural element that plays with the pure volumes facing the street. It supports and stabilizes the double-height glass vertical box of the staircase. It aims to blend the boundaries between structural sincerity vs. sculptural expression.
The water feature becomes the building number sign; all in exposed boardform concrete, flanking the entrance with the distinctive blue door.
In the middle of the house there is a triple-height light well that brings natural light to the core of the building and is designed as a contrasting composition between a curved wall and the straight vertical volume of the light well.
The roof terrace tilts up, creating a slope for lying in the sun and capturing the natural light at the double-height space connecting master bedroom and living area.
The interior is conceived as white monochromatic spaces with the accent of the blue sliding doors and the light filtered through the channel glass that washes all rooms.
Materials: boardform concrete for the entry stairs and building base, s/s mesh railings, smooth white stucco, painted white steel, grey wood flooring, porcelain pavers for the terrace, glass and light.
9255 - 9229 SUNSET BLVD
Complete architectural and interior renovation of two iconic office buildings on Sunset Strip in West Hollywood.
The project is a “Creative Enhanced
Conservation”; this is a concept that goes beyond the simple
renovation.
The idea is to enhance the existing iconic architecture with important additions and modifications that radically transform the buildings but work organically with the existing features, reinforcing their original image in a re-envisioned architectural composition.
9229 Sunset was designed by Victor Gruen Associates in 1960; 9255 Sunset was designed by Palmer & Krisel in1962. Both buildings became part of the important legacy of midcentury Sunset Blvd architecture. We recognize it and respect it. Rather than replacing the image of these buildings with one alien to it, we opt for a strategy of surgical intervention and allow the new design to grow seamlessly out of the existing architecture compromised in the 80’ and 90’ by multiple inconsiderate alterations.
- We preserved and enhanced the iconic image of the main volumes “floating” on Sunset Blvd above the podiums.
- Sophisticated fragments of steel and structural glass architecture replace the heavy chunky crumbling canopies and old storefronts.
- New refined book-match carrara marble skin, for both podiums, continues seamlessly inside the lobbies and introduces a cohesive identity to both buildings. All the new surfaces are trimmed with s/s plate.
- 210’ long backlit translucent channel glass box stretches along Sunset Blvd from the corner all the way over the driveway separating the buildings: here the new massive cantilevered truss becomes the iconic portal of ?the NINE TWO TOWERS complex.
- The renovated driveway flanked by the new book-match marble skin is now the grand vehicular entrance.
- The parking structure at the end of the driveway is revitalized with a stupendous 4 story high living vertical garden visible from the street; this is the main feature of the new patio/ garden created in the hart of the complex which establishes a new communal place for all the tenants partially covered by a high glass canopy between the parking and the 9255 building.
- The patio and the renovated lobbies feature a unique palladiana carrara marble floor.
- The new City National Bank lobby volume is a delicate composition of bypassing sheets of glass with s/s fins reaching to the sky.
- The backlit traslucent channel glass shroud floating on top of the 9229 tower is rotated to enhance the break between the volumes and to dramatize the perspective view driving down Sunset Blvd. As a beacon it identifies the end of Sunset Strip driving from West Hollywood.
- At the back, the 22’ tall channel glass sinuous wall springs from inside the City National Bank lobby emphasizing the new architectural language along Doheny Dr.
LOUNGE CHAIR - LCMP
UPHOLSTERED LOUNGE CHAIR -- MINIMAL AND CONTEMPORARY --- TIMELESS --- IT EMBODIES THE MEMORY OF MIES VAN DER ROHE AND POUL KJAERHOLM.
Legs in polished stainless steel with fasteners connections in brass. Upholstery trimmed with piping. Armrest in leather.
GRAYSON HOTEL, NYC
296 ROOMS HOTEL IN MID TOWM MANHATTAN
http://www.hospitality-interiors.net/projects/articles/2022/11/171907477-grayson-hotel-opens-new-york-city
https://www.graysonhotel.com/
PHOENIX HOUSE
1500 SF HOUSE
2B + 3BATHS + POOL + ROOF TERRACE
WESTWOOD MISSOURI
26,000 SF OF PRIME OFFICES AND RETAIL SPACES IN LOS ANGELES
INFILL TOWERS
Hotel Buildings on infill lots
BELLGAVE HOUSE
SINGLE FAMILY HOUSE PROJECT FOR A STEEP HILLSIDE LOT IN LOS ANGELES
ALLEN HOTEL, NYC
96 ROOMS BOUTIQUE HOTEL ON THE LOWER EAST SIDE IN NYC
8615 WEST KNOLL DR. 2.0
10 UNITS APARTMENT BUILDING IN THE HEART OF WEHO BUILDING PERMIT
JUANITA APARTMENTS
33 UNITS MULTIFAMILY APARTMENT BUILDING IN LOS ANGELES, CA
Milanese rationalism in the city of angels
While some generations of architects have been educated by ‘learning from Las Vegas,’ as evoked by Scott Brown, Venturi, and Izenour, others have consistently learned from Milan, its modernist rationalism, and its short but intense hedonistic postmodernism.
These two, or three, schools of architectural thought converge in the work of Marcello Pozzi, an Italian and Milanese architect, who has been based in Los Angeles for over twenty years. Motivated by a real estate market in search of quality, he has been realizing large-scale collective projects in the United States, from the West Coast to the East Coast, including hotels and offices.
Due to the recent health crisis, and in the wake of the previous economic and social crisis, which particularly in the USA has hindered the development of large-scale projects for the masses, the most interesting architecture is now focusing on more contained opportunities, ones that are more human and environmentally oriented.
By combining human scale with urban scale and a certain contemporary rationalism, while reconnecting with his Milanese roots, he has designed his latest project in L.A., a small apartment building in a still evolving, popular neighborhood.
With an ambitious vision of reconstructing fragments of the city, creating a series of ‘milestones’ in an area that was once referred to as non-city, non-places, due to the lack of any minimum order for orientation, this recently inaugurated project consists of a clear and distinct volume, much like a declaration of intent.
The idea of creating a group of apartments within a collective structure transforms into an opportunity to consider common spaces, flows, distributions, viewpoints, openings towards the landscape, and open-air interior spaces. These elements together create an organism that revolves around an open, shaded courtyard and is punctuated by luminous courtyards that act as a hinge between the residential units. The result is a total of approximately 30 apartments, with a portion dedicated to ‘rent control’ reserved for the less fortunate.
The compact yet permeable volume appears simple and minimal, clean, and sober, amidst old ‘architect-less architectures’ and the visual noise of new American architectures, which, although scaled down, often aim to showcase specific features, especially with building regulations that encourage the interpretation of the ‘Spanish Style.’
On the crisp facades, some small volumetric deviations, large window frames in the living areas, and, most importantly, a skillful compositional interplay of balconies and railings bring life to the elevations, providing the residents with a three-dimensional perspective that adds dynamism through its asymmetry.
It is precisely in this aspect that a clear homage to the compositional skills of Asnago and Vender can be recognized, characterized by rules and exceptions. Within the space, you can also see the reflections of Gio Ponti’s insights, such as the courtyard of Villa Planchart, where a poetic living space opens up without barriers. The mild climate is a favorable design feature, and the ground floor contains spaces tailored for daily communal use. The three residential floors are distributed around the garden via walkways with railings, reflecting the traditional Milanese popular housing typology with open-air galleries.
The dominating color on the facades is white, proportioned with harmonic ratios. Anticipating the climbing vegetation that will enliven and proportion some external areas and the entire inner courtyard, sage green doors and antique pink ceilings temper the interplay of light and shadow, engaging with the deep blue of the Californian sky. Beneath this sky, on the welcoming and furnished common rooftop terrace, a 360° panorama unfolds, featuring downtown with its skyscrapers to the south, framed by the sinuous profiles of the Hollywood hills. Matteo Pirola, Domus 2023
While some generations of architects have been educated by ‘learning from Las Vegas,’ as evoked by Scott Brown, Venturi, and Izenour, others have consistently learned from Milan, its modernist rationalism, and its short but intense hedonistic postmodernism.
These two, or three, schools of architectural thought converge in the work of Marcello Pozzi, an Italian and Milanese architect, who has been based in Los Angeles for over twenty years. Motivated by a real estate market in search of quality, he has been realizing large-scale collective projects in the United States, from the West Coast to the East Coast, including hotels and offices.
Due to the recent health crisis, and in the wake of the previous economic and social crisis, which particularly in the USA has hindered the development of large-scale projects for the masses, the most interesting architecture is now focusing on more contained opportunities, ones that are more human and environmentally oriented.
By combining human scale with urban scale and a certain contemporary rationalism, while reconnecting with his Milanese roots, he has designed his latest project in L.A., a small apartment building in a still evolving, popular neighborhood.
With an ambitious vision of reconstructing fragments of the city, creating a series of ‘milestones’ in an area that was once referred to as non-city, non-places, due to the lack of any minimum order for orientation, this recently inaugurated project consists of a clear and distinct volume, much like a declaration of intent.
The idea of creating a group of apartments within a collective structure transforms into an opportunity to consider common spaces, flows, distributions, viewpoints, openings towards the landscape, and open-air interior spaces. These elements together create an organism that revolves around an open, shaded courtyard and is punctuated by luminous courtyards that act as a hinge between the residential units. The result is a total of approximately 30 apartments, with a portion dedicated to ‘rent control’ reserved for the less fortunate.
The compact yet permeable volume appears simple and minimal, clean, and sober, amidst old ‘architect-less architectures’ and the visual noise of new American architectures, which, although scaled down, often aim to showcase specific features, especially with building regulations that encourage the interpretation of the ‘Spanish Style.’
On the crisp facades, some small volumetric deviations, large window frames in the living areas, and, most importantly, a skillful compositional interplay of balconies and railings bring life to the elevations, providing the residents with a three-dimensional perspective that adds dynamism through its asymmetry.
It is precisely in this aspect that a clear homage to the compositional skills of Asnago and Vender can be recognized, characterized by rules and exceptions. Within the space, you can also see the reflections of Gio Ponti’s insights, such as the courtyard of Villa Planchart, where a poetic living space opens up without barriers. The mild climate is a favorable design feature, and the ground floor contains spaces tailored for daily communal use. The three residential floors are distributed around the garden via walkways with railings, reflecting the traditional Milanese popular housing typology with open-air galleries.
The dominating color on the facades is white, proportioned with harmonic ratios. Anticipating the climbing vegetation that will enliven and proportion some external areas and the entire inner courtyard, sage green doors and antique pink ceilings temper the interplay of light and shadow, engaging with the deep blue of the Californian sky. Beneath this sky, on the welcoming and furnished common rooftop terrace, a 360° panorama unfolds, featuring downtown with its skyscrapers to the south, framed by the sinuous profiles of the Hollywood hills. Matteo Pirola, Domus 2023
Domus: MILANESE RATIONALISM IN THE CITY OF ANGELS https://www.domusweb.it/en/architecture/gallery/2023/11/06/milanese-rationalism-in-los-angeles-juani...
2190 Beech Knoll
SINGLE FAMILY HOUSE ON LOS ANGELES HILLSIDE
The Project is a radical transformation of a modest and structurally compromised house on a spectacular, steep hillside site.
The design consists of an addition of 500 sf, pool, terrace, gut renovation and remodel of a hillside house, keeping the existing wall line on the street side, the existing roof framing and adding new volume to the hillside.
The design is characterized by the new massive exposed boardform concrete beam, resting on only three piles, which “becomes” the infinity pool at one end and cantilevers out to the other end, supporting the garage volume with two pin-connected steel posts. The pool is poured together with the beam, hence reducing cost and maximizing efficiency. The beam is also important because it straightens the entire house structure that was highly damaged and sagged several inches towards the hillside. From the hillside, the roughness of the “pool beam” with its counterbalance configuration is juxtaposed to the pristine glass and steel volumes.
The existing gable roof is also carefully maintained. A new “half gable” extension is added forming a zig-zag silhouette. The new upward-pitched roof panel, washed with light on the inside, creates a dramatic ceiling up-lift. The new full height glass facade, which reaches the level of the original roof ridge, conceals the old roof line.
A new second skin of corrugated steel wraps around the building, tying old and new in a complementary and enigmatic architectural relationship.
The interior is completely gutted and reinvented with new bedrooms and double-height living area carved into the building open to the view and the
cantilevered terrace.
Le Doeux Residences, Los Angeles CA
43 units luxury apatrment building in Los Angeles
HOTEL HENDRICKS, NYC
NEW 188 ROOMS BOUTIQUE HOTEL IN MID TOWN MANHATTAN
Architecture and interior architecture design of hotel Hendricks
The design aims to create a 25 stories boutique hotel in a small manhattan infill lot, typical for budget hotels.
The architecture is conceived as simple but bold fragments: the black tower and the exposed concrete podium.
the interface with the new york streetscape is a massive boardformed concrete volume that wants to challenge the idea of typical canopies and create a new impact
on 38th street.
The metal finished used throughout, as distinctive accent, is polished copper.
the building as an architectural aesthetic with juxtaposition of raw and slick finishes and eclectic touches in the interior.
the ground floor is designed as a free flow space between reception, restaurant and bar.
The basement underground houses the b.o.h. and the gym.
The design aims to create a 25 stories boutique hotel in a small manhattan infill lot, typical for budget hotels.
The architecture is conceived as simple but bold fragments: the black tower and the exposed concrete podium.
the interface with the new york streetscape is a massive boardformed concrete volume that wants to challenge the idea of typical canopies and create a new impact
on 38th street.
The metal finished used throughout, as distinctive accent, is polished copper.
the building as an architectural aesthetic with juxtaposition of raw and slick finishes and eclectic touches in the interior.
the ground floor is designed as a free flow space between reception, restaurant and bar.
The basement underground houses the b.o.h. and the gym.