A habitable sculpture. California House by GLUCK+
29/02/2024.
[LA] USA
metalocus, JORGE MARTINEZ
metalocus, JORGE MARTINEZ
GLUCK+ architecture firm has completed the family housing project on a site long considered unbuildable, due to its location on a steep north-facing hillside with 180-degree views from the Hollywood sign in the east to the airport. of Burbank in west Los Angeles, in the United States.
The project mainly presented two challenges that had to be solved, the first was to minimize the impact of the house on the landscape as much as possible and, on the other hand, create enough flat surfaces to be able to enjoy outdoor activities in a pleasant way. The building program is bifurcated in two, allowing a different tectonic and programmatic function to develop in each half.
The project mainly presented two challenges that had to be solved, the first was to minimize the impact of the house on the landscape as much as possible and, on the other hand, create enough flat surfaces to be able to enjoy outdoor activities in a pleasant way. The building program is bifurcated in two, allowing a different tectonic and programmatic function to develop in each half.
California House by GLUCK+. Photograph by Paul Vu.
California House by GLUCK+. Photograph by Paul Vu.
California House by GLUCK+. Photograph by Timothy Hursley.
California House by GLUCK+. Photograph by Timothy Hursley.
California House by GLUCK+. Photograph by Paul Vu.
California House by GLUCK+. Photograph by Paul Vu.
California House by GLUCK+. Photograph by Paul Vu.
California House by GLUCK+. Photograph by Paul Vu.
California House by GLUCK+. Photograph by Paul Vu.
California House by GLUCK+. Photograph by Paul Vu.
California House by GLUCK+. Photograph courtesy of GLUCK+.
California House by GLUCK+. Photograph by Paul Vu.
California House by GLUCK+. Photograph by Paul Vu.
California House by GLUCK+. Photograph by Paul Vu.
California House by GLUCK+. Photograph by Paul Vu.
California House by GLUCK+. Photograph by Paul Vu.
California House by GLUCK+. Photograph by Paul Vu.
California House by GLUCK+. Photograph by Paul Vu.
California House by GLUCK+. Photograph by Brandon Shigeta.
California House by GLUCK+. Photograph by Paul Vu.
California House by GLUCK+. Photograph by Paul Vu.
California House by GLUCK+. Photograph by Paul Vu.
California House, designed by the GLUCK+ architecture studio, is made up of floors, the lower floor built thanks to an excavation carried out in the ground, housing the most intimate spaces, bedrooms, bathrooms, as well as other spaces that are arranged along the floor. hillside. The kitchen and living room are located in a partially open space on the ground floor, forming a volume with a strong sculptural shape.
The building can be described as a glass-walled pavilion that creates a “loft” space for communal activities of living, cooking, dining and entertaining, serving as an umbrella to maintain the simplicity and openness of the spaces that generate a program. messy. Natural light was one of the main axes of the project, in this way, whether in one corner or another of the house, depending on the season of the year and the time of day, there is always natural light inside the house.
California House by GLUCK+. Photograph by Timothy Hursley.
The building can be described as a glass-walled pavilion that creates a “loft” space for communal activities of living, cooking, dining and entertaining, serving as an umbrella to maintain the simplicity and openness of the spaces that generate a program. messy. Natural light was one of the main axes of the project, in this way, whether in one corner or another of the house, depending on the season of the year and the time of day, there is always natural light inside the house.
California House by GLUCK+. Photograph by Timothy Hursley.
Description of project by GLUCK+
The site is spectacular, a steep north-facing hillside with unobstructed views of the mountains beyond and a 180-degree panorama from the Hollywood sign in the east to the Burbank airport in the west. Building on this site, long considered unbuildable, presented two challenges: first, to minimize the impact of the house on the landscape and second, to create sufficient flat area to be comfortable for outdoor activities.
The solution bifurcates the building, each half with its distinct tectonic and programmatic function. The lower floor is carved into the hill and with its expanse of green roof, it creates a strong ground-plane, or bench, in the steeply sloping land. Bedrooms, bathrooms, storage, media room and other family and utility spaces are arrayed along the hillside. This section, though large, is meant to be essentially invisible.
California House by GLUCK+. Photograph courtesy of GLUCK+.
This invisibility contrasts with the strong sculptural form that the house presents to the viewer. A glass-sided pavilion creates a loft-like space for the communal activities of living, cooking, dining, entertaining, and so on. Everything here is configured to maintain the simplicity and openness of the space. Kitchen and spatial divisions never touch the ceiling so that it seems to float above on independent steel supports. Three solid wood-faced “boxes” (the only interruption in the glass) contain “messy” program elements, including closets, fireplace, TV screen, pantry, kitchen office, and powder room, maintaining the integrity of the large space.
Like a vast parasol, the roof of the house is a rectangle with upturned edges that extend well beyond the footprint of the rectangular pavilion. The roof is twisted in relation to the glass rectangle, making it seem to float and creating shade in and outside the house. Depending on the time of day or season of the year, at one corner or another, there is always either shade or sunlight to be found.
More information
Architects
Project team
Austin Anderson, Ross Galloway, Peter Gluck, Matthew Harmon, Narin Hagopian, Gonzalo Moran.
Collaborators
Civil and Structural Engineer.- Peck.
Geotechnical Engineer.- Schick Geotechnical.
Mechanical Engineer.- IBC Engineering Services, Inc.
CES Engineering.
Lighting Design.- Lux Populi.
Interior Design.- Insight Environmental Design.
Landscape Design.- Hoerr Schaudt.
Expeditor.- Kimberlina Whettam and Associates.
Geotechnical Engineer.- Schick Geotechnical.
Mechanical Engineer.- IBC Engineering Services, Inc.
CES Engineering.
Lighting Design.- Lux Populi.
Interior Design.- Insight Environmental Design.
Landscape Design.- Hoerr Schaudt.
Expeditor.- Kimberlina Whettam and Associates.
Area
Size.- 670 sqm New Building.
Site Area.- 13,517 sqm.
Site Area.- 13,517 sqm.
Dates
November 2019.
Location
Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles CA.
Peter L. Gluck , Thomas Gluck, Charlie Kaplan, Stacie Wong, Marc Gee. GLUCK+
GLUCK+ is an architecture studio founded by Peter L. Gluck in 1972, to which new partners have joined over the years, and currently has a team made up of Thomas Gluck, Charlie Kaplan, Stacie Wong, and Marc Gee.
Peter Gluck received a Bachelor of Arts from Yale University and a Master of Architecture from the Yale School of Art and Architecture in 1965. After designing a series of houses from New York to Newfoundland, he went to Tokyo to design large projects for a leading Japanese construction consortium. This experience influenced Gluck’s later work both in his knowledge of Japan’s traditional aesthetics and of its efficient modern methods of integrated construction and design.
Formerly Peter Gluck and Partners, the New York City-based firm has been designing and building throughout the country since 1972, joined in 1992 by ARCS, a construction-management firm, established to build the firm’s designs, and in 1997 by Aspen GK, Inc., a development partnership, founded to produce well-designed, high-quality speculative housing.
In 2013, the firm's identity evolved into GLUCK+ to reflect the nature of the practice: architects are involved in all aspects of the design, construction, and development of a project. Exhibitions of Gluck’s award-winning work have been held in the U.S. and Japan, and he is widely published in architectural journals around the world. He has taught at Columbia and Yale Schools of Architecture, and curated exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art and the Milan Triennale.
Peter Gluck received a Bachelor of Arts from Yale University and a Master of Architecture from the Yale School of Art and Architecture in 1965. After designing a series of houses from New York to Newfoundland, he went to Tokyo to design large projects for a leading Japanese construction consortium. This experience influenced Gluck’s later work both in his knowledge of Japan’s traditional aesthetics and of its efficient modern methods of integrated construction and design.
Formerly Peter Gluck and Partners, the New York City-based firm has been designing and building throughout the country since 1972, joined in 1992 by ARCS, a construction-management firm, established to build the firm’s designs, and in 1997 by Aspen GK, Inc., a development partnership, founded to produce well-designed, high-quality speculative housing.
In 2013, the firm's identity evolved into GLUCK+ to reflect the nature of the practice: architects are involved in all aspects of the design, construction, and development of a project. Exhibitions of Gluck’s award-winning work have been held in the U.S. and Japan, and he is widely published in architectural journals around the world. He has taught at Columbia and Yale Schools of Architecture, and curated exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art and the Milan Triennale.
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