Escher-GuneWardena’s artful new Glassell Park house
Erin Wright, director of special projects at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and artist Joe Sola set out to build a home in
“When we first went over there 10 years ago, we had a picnic on the site,” architect Ravi GuneWardena said. “We identified two wonderful, but distinct views — one urban, the other natural. We wanted to highlight this contrast for those inside the house.”
Here, Wright and Sola stand on the top floor of the three-story house. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
The challenge for the architects: how to place a cube on a sphere. Their solution was to carve out a relatively small section of the hill and build the house -- essentially a series of elegant tubes stacked on top of one another -- inside this new cavity. With the curving hill almost touching the house, the finished 3,500-square-foot design appears to float. The stacked tubes that constitute the house’s three levels seem to burst forth from the earth -- the square erupting from the circle.
“We had to accommodate the site in the least invasive way possible yet still leave ourselves plenty of architectural room,” architect Frank Escher said. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
The architects conceived the top floor as a “penthouse,” an open, unencumbered living room, dining area and kitchen whose floor-to-ceiling windows and doors at both ends allow for views of
The finished space is artful without feeling “arty” or pretentious, thanks in part to the building materials. Construction-grade plywood, the same kind often used in art galleries, conveys a sense of groundedness. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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To heighten the effect of stacked tubes whose ends open to fine views, Escher and GuneWardena set back the windows at both ends of the house by 3 feet. Most surfaces, inside and out, are the same color: gallery white. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Nestled inside the slope, the house is wrapped on three sides by a retaining wall that rises 20 feet at its highest point. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
The reverse view, toward the dining area. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
The connection to the outdoors is evident at every turn through floor-to-ceiling glass. A glass door leads to ... (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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... the outdoors, where the cat Pi heads for stairs leading to the outdoor space. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
The yard outside the top floor of the house. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
The middle floor is the largest, with three bedrooms and an open library area. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Sliding plywood doors divide the space but can be opened to allow light to travel across the east-west axis of the house. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Visitors headed for the top-floor living area travel from the ground floor, up stairs and through the second floor, conceived as a sort of architectural promenade. A plywood-lined gallery space conveys the house’s design as a series of stacked tubes, this one leading upstairs to the surprise above: the open, airy “penthouse.” (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
The tubes do not align atop one another. Rather, they shift from one floor to the next, giving the structure as a whole a sense of movement.
The architects were working with clients who not only encouraged architectural expressiveness but also were willing to try unconventional materials. Sarnafil, a fiberglass-reinforced thermoplastic membrane, clads the exterior like an all-white canvas, reflecting heat, softening the silhouette and at certain points even wrinkling like cloth as it expands and contracts with changes in temperature. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
The ground floor consists of a garage and a 500-square-foot art studio for Sola.
Construction began in summer 2007, and the now-delighted couple moved in earlier this year. They said each floor creates its own sensation, an effect they find invigorating.
“We love all the different spaces,” Wright said. “It inspires us to discover new ways to enjoy each one.” (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Sola renders a similarly positive verdict: “It’s beautiful and inspiring to be in this house.”
For a peek inside more Southern California homes, check out our Homes of The Times gallery.
For news briefs and a quick scan of the Southern California design scene, including store openings, sales and garden coverage, click to our L.A. at Home blog. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
