Project Description
The prominent feature of the SKYHOUSE is the grid of skylights which encompass the span of all public spaces on the main floor of the home. The interlocking squares were custom designed and created.
Located in the Bird Streets of the Hollywood Hills, the SKYHOUSE is a custom home designed for a couple and their teenage son. The site sits at the end of a cul-de-sac with canyon views to the West and views of the City and the Pacific Ocean to the South.
The house is organized by a series of offset volumes, whose placement and relationship to one another define a negative space flowing seamlessly between them and out into the landscape. The solid volumes enclose the more private areas of the house while the main living area and circulation space is located in the open space between them. This space is defined by a grid of truncated skylights, filling the space with a soft diffuse light.
The site slopes from north to south with a 15-foot difference in elevation. The house is tucked into the hillside, taking advantage of the inherent thermal qualities of the earth. The smooth white plaster volumes appear as if they are emerging from the landscape on the north and float above board formed concrete walls that lead to a sunken garage to the south.
From the street, the white abstract volumes serve as a backdrop to the landscape made up native grasses and a single multi-trunk olive tree. The main entry is defined by a bead blasted stainless steel door separating the volumes leading to an entry garden, buffering the house from the street. Custom fabricated pivot doors slowly reveal a private garden beyond and echo the grid of the skylights which are experienced upon entry, as is the view of the canyon beyond.
The main living area resides at the center of the house, defined by four solid volumes around it. The volumes become canvases for art washed by a soft diffuse light from the skylights above. The Living Room extends to an exterior terrace with a white plaster infinity pool, reflecting the canyon view beyond. Full height sliding glass doors pocket away, connecting the living room and open family/dining/kitchen area to the pool terrace, creating one contiguous indoor/outdoor area. This connection is reinforced with white terrazzo floors that run seamlessly from interior to exterior.
The lower level of the home features a bar/lounge area, movie theater and a full gym looking out over the canyon. The expansive 8-car garage with tempered slope is also located on the lower level.
The SKYHOUSE was designed with many sustainable features in mind. The house is naturally insulated by tucking the house into the hillside. The Skylights are tinted and contain a diffuse pvc membrane reducing the solar intake while providing plenty of natural light, reducing the need for artificial daylighting. Sliding glass doors throughout the house allow for passive cooling and cross ventilation. Native drought resistant plants were used throughout the property, much of which is irrigated through rain tanks that capture and reuse the rainfall on the site, reducing storm water runoff and the water demand for irrigation.