Los Angeles-based Arshia Architects has completed RO54, a residential scheme perched on a hilltop in Bel Air. The team describes the project’s aesthetic as “directed by streamline automotive design,” with a split-level concept following the hilly topography of the site.

The 6,700-square-foot home sought to minimize its perceived massing, with a “dynamic” building sitting atop a buried podium. To bring daylight to the bedrooms on the lower level, a courtyard has been carved out from the buried podium, which also doubles as a rainwater runoff filtration system for the site.

Inside, the interior palette was sourced naturally and includes a minimalist selection of mica plaster, hardwood flooring, and natural stone. In selecting materials for the interior, the team sought out low-impact, proven materials to achieve a balance between durability, ease of maintenance, and responsible sourcing.

“The project’s aesthetic was directed by streamline automotive design which, among others, proposed concealed performance for every technology in the house,” the team explains. “The interior palette was based on a utilitarian approach to materials, in contrast to the overall ambient approach of the design where space overcame necessity. This balance of power proceeded in the backdrop of environmental sensitivity and clinical dearth.”

Since its completion, the project has received 18 international design awards, including a 2022 AMP - Architecture Masterprize and a 2023 A Design Award.