Following last week’s visit to the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, we are moving our Meet Your Next Employer series to Los Angeles this week to explore the work of Assembledge+.

Founded and led by David Thompson, and based on Sunset Boulevard, the firm describes itself as “driven by a commitment to collaboration and craftsmanship to create enduring environments that are user-focused, innovative, and sustainable.” Back in 2020, we explored the firm’s background and ethos in-depth as part of our Studio Visits series, in which we spoke to Thompson and his father Richard about their business and unique professional relationship.

Over on Archinect Jobs, the firm is currently hiring for an Intermediate Architect to join their Los Angeles office. For candidates interested in applying for the position, or anybody interested in learning more about the studio’s work, we have rounded up five contemporary Los Angeles residences by Assembledge+ that demonstrate their design approach.

Fryman Canyon Residence

Located in the hills above Studio City, the Fryman Canyon Residence sees the remodeling and extension of a mid-century home dating from 1957. Responding to the client's brief for an airy, light interior, the design team created an entry foyer comprised of a frameless glass wall, which combines with floor-to-ceiling windows and a sliding glass door at the opposite end of the house to give the residence a sense of transparency.

The project also saw a two-story addition to the original single-floor property, with a new bedroom wing extended towards the rear of the site and new office space located below. Throughout the home, a minimalist palette of stone, hardwood floors, and white plaster “echoes the qualities of the existing home and preserves its original spirit and character” while a thin roof plane maintains the home’s mid-century horizontality.

Laurel Hills Residence

Also located in Studio City, the Laurel Hills Residence is comprised of three pavilions connected by a series of glass hallways. The two larger volumes contain living and sleeping quarters, both clad in oversized charcoal-colored board and cement board siding, while the smaller guest house/garage pavilion is clad in Western Red Cedar. Inside, the living quarters feature a fluid layout between the kitchen, breakfast room, and family room to establish a “harmony of transparency and lightness” while the glass hallway connecting to the guest pavilion makes a metaphorical reference by spanning across an old creek once present on the property.

“The entire site here is treated as we are accustomed to treating interiors,” the team explains. “The surrounding trees and hills are taken to be the building envelope and the exterior walls of the house are reconceived as a series of partition walls. Instead of only externalizing interior spaces, exterior spaces are also internalized. The grounds are interlocked with the interior space and the entire ensemble is activated by the purposeful arrangement of deeply layered sight lines, vignettes, and circulation connections.”

Wonderland Park Residence

Like the Fryman Canyon Residence, the Wonderland Park Residence sees the remodeling and extension of an existing mid-century home from 1956. The original ranch house has been extended with a second-floor addition clad in Western Red Cedar, linked to the original structure by a narrow-thirty-foot-long skylight.

Inside, the kitchen forms the heart of the residence, physically connecting the social and private areas while providing views to the surrounding landscape. Floor-to-ceiling glass sliding doors are positioned on opposite corners of the plan so that a diagonal axis is established from the front yard that passes through the interior spaces and out to the back yard and pool.

St. Andrews ADU and Addition

Situated in Hancock Park, Assembledge+’s brief at the St Andrews residence saw the extension of an existing home and the construction of a new Accessory Dwelling Unit. Richly colored V-groove fiber cement panels form a visual connection between the ADU and the existing 1916 bungalow, while clean lines, simple geometry, and large windows give the ADU its own contemporary character.

Inside the ADU, an efficient layout sees a kitchenette and living space on the lower level and a full bathroom and bedroom on the upper floor. Meanwhile, the inside of the primary home addition includes hallway arches echoing the original interior, creating what the team calls a “careful balance of historical and contemporary, minimalist and eclectic.”

Stoneridge Residence

Situated on a perched site overlooking the San Fernando Valley, the Stoneridge Residence sees an existing home renovated to reconnect the residence with its site through large restructured openings. Surrounding the home, a landscape strategy includes native vegetation planting, an Olympic-sized infinity-edge pool, and a Barragan-inspired poured-in-place cantilevered concrete water fountain.

The home’s second-floor addition seeks to “retain and celebrate the original exterior” while complementing the existing home with large expanses of glass and dark steel support elements carefully integrated with the existing brick-clad volumes. Inside, a palette of wood and stone runs through the large kitchen, family room, and home theater, while a custom-designed rough-sawn lumber staircase and rippling custom-molded wall “gives the illusion of a fabric curtain blowing in the wind.”

Meet Your Next Employer is one of a number of ongoing weekly series showcasing the opportunities available on our industry-leading job board. Our Job Highlights series looks at intriguing and topical employment opportunities currently available on Archinect Jobs, while our weekly roundups curate job opportunities by location, career level, and job description.