jENKALA RESIDENCE
This large house has been sited within a small hillside lot to maximize privacy, outdoor living areas and canyon views. The two parallel, linear 'bars' separated by a double height linear hallway, is a direct response to the tight building site.
The north, street facing 'bar' contains secondary bedrooms, garage, and service rooms. It functions as a privacy boundary for the outdoor living areas behind. To dramatize the entry experience the front door is hidden from the street. Guests pass alongside the glass-walled garage , and then turn at the edge of the entry court to discover the front door. Upon entering, a spectacular, long, double height hall, defined by two sloping parallel walls is revealed. At the far end, the hall opens out across a reflecting pond into an intimate garden. A skylight runs the entire length of the hall, bringing natural light down into the space. The south 'bar' contains the major living areas, and Master Bedroom above, all which open to canyon and garden views. The informal family room and kitchen areas open at either end to an intimate garden and pool terrace respectively. Entry court, rear garden, and pool terrace are direct extensions of the floor plan. Each has its own specific function, materiality, and spatial quality.
A green roof, rainwater cistern for landscaping, passive solar heating and cooling utilizing southern glazing and high internal mass, are the primary sustainable energy strategies integral to the design. This is supplemented with induced natural air circulation via fans and operable skylights, photovoltaic panels, low flush toilets, sustainable forested engineered wood flooring, and low VOC paints.
Beverly Hills, CA