A compound of rooms on a large flag lot responds to a family of four’s improvisational lifestyle with modest materials and spaces that anticipate change over time.

Folded white boxes house living and sleeping spaces while burnt wood (sugi) clad bars enclose bathrooms and storage. Floors are concrete and painted pegboard is used to achieve an illuminated ceiling. All living and sleeping spaces open to the outside, and secondary indoor circulation provides a short-cut during wet weather. Cooling achieved by a combination of passive strategies and fan-assisted earth tubes makes air conditioning unnecessary. An off-the-grid guest house allowed the family to live on-site during construction.

Selected Awards
2014 AIA National Housing Award
2012 AIA Los Angeles Citation Award

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