BlockHouse

BlockHouse examines a different way to inhabit a typical Los Angeles residential lot.

Rather than filling the program elements at the front of the lot, leaving a rear yard accessible from the back of the house, the BlockHouse groups the majority of the program on one side of the property, leaving open space along the other side. The living room is a glass box set in the landscape, with tall doors that connect directly through both sides to the outdoors.

The house, built for an interior designer, her lawyer/turned wholesale entrepreneur husband, and their two sons, is as comfortable for large family gatherings as it is for two people to cozy up and watch TV in the media room. The house features a sleeping nook off the primary bedroom (great for a sick child!), a gym, a jack-and-jack bathroom for the kids, a home office, tons of storage, and an indispensable laundry chute.