Small ‘community’ of three houses. Wonderland houses by MUTUO

Having a home in one of the most desired places in Los Angles, in the hills of Hollywood, is not easy. Prices and plots on the hillside make housing construction difficult, which increases its price compared to other places in the city.

Wonderland houses designed by architecture firm M U T U O is a very interesting option. The practice has built a small ‘community’ of three houses with a variety of connected outdoor spaces as an alternative for living in the Hollywood Hills.

Wonderland houses by M u t u o. Photograph by Brenden Gile

M U T U O’s design for this project maximizing with intelligence and skill in design, indoor residential areas and outdoor living areas. Three homes sit on three small and narrow plots on a hillside in the Hollywood Hills.

Something that is very common in other parts of the world, this project proposes outdoor communal living through a variety of connected exterior areas, exploring preconceived ideas of boundaries between neighbouring semi-private spaces. Opportunities for exterior living and community interaction include: shaded back patios, large front terraces, roof terraces, and walkways bridging over to the adjacent hill.

The project also explores the interplay of several construction methods and materials. Wonderland plays with spaces and materials proposing a new communal way of living challenging preconceived notions ‘contemporary’ and ‘traditional’.

Project description by M U T U O

Three residences sit on three small and narrow up-hill lots in the Hollywood Hills. M U T U O’s design for this project aims to maximize indoor residential areas as well as outdoor living areas. It also seeks to craft intricate details through the interplay of different construction methods and materials.

This project proposes outdoor communal living through a variety of connected exterior areas. It explores preconceived ideas of boundaries between neighbouring semi-private spaces. Opportunities for exterior living and community interaction include: shaded back patios, large front terraces, roof terraces, and walkways bridging over to the adjacent hill.

The project also explores the interplay of several construction methods and materials. Construction methods vary from rough shotcrete retaining walls to board-formed concrete walls, wood framed and steel framed construction. Victorian’ wood shingles, unpainted stucco, and exposed concrete are some of the diverse materials juxtaposed throughout the project. Exterior walls of different construction methods and different finishes cap and interlock each other, carefully transitioning at corners.

Wonderland plays with spaces and materials proposing a new communal way of living challenging preconceived notions ‘contemporary’ and ‘traditional’.

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Wonderland houses by M u t u o. Photograph by Marilu Godinez

Wonderland houses by M u t u o. Photograph by Lauren Moore

45 degree front view. Wonderland houses by M u t u o.

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More information

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Architects

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MUTUO.

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Design team

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M U T U O (Jose Herrasti, Fernanda Oppermann, Fernanda Ximenez, Alejandra Novelo, Isabel Driessen, Sandra Villanueva).

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Collaborators

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Strucutural Engineer.- NOUS Engineering.
Landscape Architect.- Puentealameda, Lorena Garcia.
Illustration.- Jeni Emery.

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Client

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Private

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Area

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1,500 sqm usable each house. 2,000 sqm gross each house. 6,000 sqm gross total.

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Fechas

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Completed in July of 2019.

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Location

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Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, California.

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Photography

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Lauren Moore, Marilu Godinez, Brenden Gile (Drone).

Jose Herrasti, Fernanda Oppermann. MUTUO

M u t u o was established by Jose Herrasti and Fernanda Oppermann in Los Angeles in 2014. Since then they have explored common grounds in their passion for design, in finding extraordinary uses for ordinary materials and methods, in discovering new perspectives, and in creating meaningful impact through architecture.

They believe in blurring the lines of their profession’s boundaries in ways that allow them to proactively create meaningful impact through architecture. M u t u o has been searching for different opportunities to foster collaborations and expand the traditional roles of the architecture firm into a more dynamic role with a bigger influence on creating built environments and solving complex city challenges.

M u t u o aims to use design as catalyst for social impact. We believe that small, organic interventions have the potential to alleviate big social challenges. We welcome design collaborations with a diverse range of contributors: developers with similar interests in design, communities that we design for, artists, non-profit organizations, software engineers, out-of-the-box financial institutions... We often find that collaborations push the boundaries of architecture into the unexpected.

Awards:

2018 Next LA Honor Award for Boyle Tower from the American Institute of Architects, Los Angeles Chapter.
2019 Presidential Emerging Practice Award from the American Institute of Architects, Los Angeles Chapter.

Jose Herrasti graduated with a Master in Science in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University, New York in 1997 and Bachelors of Architecture from Universidad Cristobal Colon, Veracruz, Mexico in 1993. Jose was a visiting professor at the School of Architecture - Cal Poly Pomona. He is the co-chair of the AIA LA Political Outreach Committee, is on the Board of Directors of L.A. Forum for Architecture and Urban Design, and is on the Board of NAHR (Nature Art & Habitat Residency). Jose is a registered architect in Mexico, California and Texas.

Fernanda Oppermann graduated with a Master in Architecture from the University of Southern California in 2005 and Bachelors of Architecture and Urban Design from Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Brazil in 2000. Fernanda is a USC Ross Minority Program in Real Estate alumni, participated in the 2018 GROW Mentorship Program led by the Women’s Leadership Initiative at ULI - LA and is a member of AIA - LA, and ULI - LA. Fernanda is an architect in Brazil and a registered architect in the State of Minnesota in the US.

Published on: December 26, 2019

Cite: "Small ‘community’ of three houses. Wonderland houses by MUTUO" METALOCUS. Accessed

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