Located on Nightingale Drive high in the hills above West Hollywood, the Oberfeld Residence encompasses a 28,775-square-foot sloped parcel with approximately 10,000 square level area. The desired program required two components: an additional story, and a maximum 18-foot height limit above the existing natural ground to maintain the panoramic unobstructed views of the Los Angeles basin authorized by the neighborhood associations CCR’s. Both were achieved by lowering the pad approximately six feet and utilizing a simple “L” shaped design, burrowing into the hill to maximize the usable structural space while successfully maintaining the mandatory height limits.

Fundamentally based on a 20 by 25 foot structural model, the resulting residency plan established a linear progression from the carport entry through the living spaces and outdoor garden. A retaining wall and reflecting pool flank the long bar of living spaces that extend toward an angled infinity pool, forming the home’s first L stroke, while the sleeping areas above and the adjoining guest wing form the contour’s second. These two wings bracket a grand lawn and the basements include a theater, playroom, sunken garage and service areas.

White Swisspearl cement panels wrap the street façade, creating a patterned rain screen with minimal openings that conceal the fully glazed interior from the street. The building’s structural steel frame appears to suspend above a glass enclosed first floor, yet is also clad in glass, protected from the extreme sunlight by a series of custom-designed vertical louvers, cleft from the same Swisspearl cement panel material that envelopes the front exterior. Other substantial materials included architectural exposed concrete, travertine, exposed steel, plate steel, glass and wood. The resulting interplay between the varying hues of the used materials and natural landscape establish a subtle rhythm emphasizing the structure’s relationship to its occupied space.