“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” Buckminster Fuller

Los Angeles and its beloved R1 zone. How can we possibly define ourselves without it? How can we find happiness without our own personal plot of 2400 or 3600 or 4200 or 10,000 square feet? We invent alternatives that are not alternatives, add in an ADU—an R1, but with fair. We know what we need—this competition knows it too—kill the R1. With heavy hearts but optimistic and courageous vision, we must destroy and rebuild in the name of real community, expansiveness, a clean future, and building wealth for all Angelenos.
 
No one needs a reminder why we love R1–privacy, quiet, space, individuality, and best of all, equity generation. The current alternatives only reinforce our love, because if we can help it, why would we settle for a multiple shared-wall apartment or fourplex with tenor-voiced neighbors who like to take calls on speaker phone? 
 
What we propose is queer, yet familiar and comforting. Condouses and Hondos,—a new model of residential architecture explained in five points. 
 
The motivation behind this new model is the humanity of the occupants—as this pandemic has demonstrated, we are deeply communal creatures not defined by any one living model—extended families, grandparents, in-laws, adult children, single people, friends fallen on hard times, and chosen families. 
 
Condouses and Hondos is not a form-driven design proposal, it is a case-study design specific to four real LA house-holds/scenarios. Unit A belongs to a group of women, Sarah, Mia, and X. Unit B belongs to Gilberto and a rotating group of friends. Unit C belongs to Renee, Matt, their toddler Benny, and a baby on the way. Unit D belongs to Barbara and Harry, and their grandkid Cat. 
 
1. Replacement of single-family lot zoning with four-family lot zoning. All of them, including hillside. 
 
2. No shared walls between units. The ground floor must have at least 10’ separation between any adjacent structure. The infill is nature and air. Sound from your neighbor has somewhere to disperse. Windows get views and light. 
 
3. All units have a pre-planned, pre-approved, pre-engineered expansion phase. The variations are endless, and each unit is distributed differently. For example, phase 1 at 700 SF and a phase 2 adding 300 SF to a unit size of 1,000 SF. As your life, family, and house are varying degrees of built-out, condouses and hondos are addition ready, with a pre-approved permit for that expansion. Ideally all units would be 1,250 SF, or up to 2,000 SF to accommodate a full range of typical LA households living in R1. 
 
4. Uncompromisingly self-sufficient. Roofs are pitched at 19 degrees to optimize solar roof tiles, charging home appliances and the electric carport. The gutter system is integrated into the envelope connecting to community water 
storage, replacing the trend of tacked on gutters that lead to rain barrels that are an afterthought. South facing walls are double-framed to insulate against LA heat gain, and act as a vertical chase. To queer our stagnant ideas about “sustainable materials” we listen to Andrew Holder, “No material is of-limits. No “thing” is excluded from the catalogue of possible building materials. [...] Garbage, detritus, and ruins can be used too, almost without remediation [...] Everything 
that can be seen and surveyed is ready for assembly - perhaps no longer so distinct and shiny but universally ready.” 
(Five Points Toward a Queer Architecture; Or, Notes on Mario Banana No.1).  So, in this proposal we use old LA tires to make a synthetic slate tile. 
 
5. Queer allocation of interior space and use, queer allocation of public and private outdoor space. This is an important matter! When sharing resources or divvying up square footage, luxury should not be sacrifced. Follow the concept of ephemeralization - do more and more with less and less. Bigger bathrooms for relaxation and alone time. 
Quiet zones for thinking or kid romp. Private outdoor space for entertainment and fresh air. Community outdoor space for food and play. Pool for LA daydreaming. Parking for independent mobility, one tandem space per unit. 
 
This can not just be another contest or vision. We have an imperative to make it a reality. Change the zoning policy.