Tilt-Shift House

The project site for this 2,100 sf residence is a 3,750 sf ascending northwesterly facing parcel with panoramic views towards Los Angeles’ Silver Lake Hills and Reservoir. The residence is situated adjacent to multiple significant mid-century modern homes, including William Kesling’s Vanderpool and Wilson Houses, and the Allyn Morris cantilevered duplex. Due to the adjacency of these neighboring properties and the lack of natural open space available as a result of the limited size and extreme slope of the site, a series of plan shifts were generated to create numerous exterior living spaces within the volume of the residence. Organized as a rigorously stacked and shifted volume of three levels, the house is situated upon a subterranean garage inserted into the hillside. The second floor, primarily an open plan of living spaces that engage the entry and street facing decks, perceptually expands the interior. The third floor, consisting of the bedrooms, is accessed by a double height interior stair volume that in conjunction with the operable windows and skylights, acts to naturally ventilate the residence and provide circulation to all floors. Strategically located apertures, exterior stairs, patios, and decks around the perimeter connect the home to the multiple and diverse landscapes of the site at every opportunity; these connections serve to expand the usable living space of the compact residence.