House in West Los Angeles | Barton Myers Associates

The West Los Angeles residence is an “elegant warehouse” in the tradition of Eames and early Barton Myers houses. It builds upon the Southern California tradition of seamless spatial integration of indoors and out and continues Barton Myers’ explorations in steel housing in which industrial materials are used out of context. The house is situated in an urban corner lot. The neighborhood is urban in character and contains a mix of single family homes, small apartment buildings and a vibrant shopping and entertainment area just blocks away. The design turns the house inward to create a protected precinct in the tradition of Los Angeles courtyard houses. The house is comprised of a group of three buildings positioned around a central courtyard. A 500 sf garage and 700 sf games room are located on the western portion of the lot, the 3000 sf main residence is centrally located, and a 400 sf guest house is located on the eastern edge of the central courtyard. The three buildings form an ensemble that frames and enclose the intimate central courtyard and lap-pool. The courtyard’s location facing southeast takes full advantage of sunlight and encompasses spaces for different occasions: a sun filled area for the lap pool, a covered and semiprotectedpatio for year-round outdoor dining and covered porches for lounging and entertaining. The main building is an exposed structural steel frame, with a metal deck ceiling and concrete floors. The structures are open, loft spaces enclosed by glazed aluminum sectional doors, which can be opened and closed to varying degrees. North facing clerestory windows provide the “back-of-house” with constant, even light. Galvanized rolling shutters above every glazed opening create a secondary envelope that provides additional security, insulation and sun control.