architecture buzz!!

Photography©Kenji Arai

Nice living wall on simple form with the full connection with the garden, This extension designed by Bricault Design is well-worth to feature and buzz with you guys.

The clients for this project needed more space to accommodate the needs of a growing family, but they were reluctant to leave their location in Venice – one of the few walkable neighborhoods in Los Angeles. The solution was to maintain and remodel their existing 2000 square foot home, while creating a 1700 square foot addition and courtyard on the rear lane side.

Drawings courtesy Bricault Design ( Click at image to enlarge)

With an ideal climate for much of the year, a primary design driver was to create a seamless connection between inside and outside, while eliminating the need for air conditioning To this end, a central sculptural staircase links the ground floor with the rooftop deck, while doubling as a chimney to draw cooling breezes through the house. On the main floor, a sequence of pivoting doors opens the house to the courtyard, while on the second floor, windows fold back and full-height exterior panels slide into walls. A system of cedar battens serve as a shading device along much of the addition.

Photograph©Danna Kinsky

Photography©Kenji Arai

The volume of the new master bedroom extends out from the second story, creating a carport below. Its exterior is clad with a living wall system on three sides, visually tying together the courtyard greenery with the planted roof. All landscaping is fed with a combination of captured rainwater and recycled domestic greywater. The roof’s softscape is divided between a highly productive vegetable garden and indigenous, low-maintenance grasses and shrubs. The roof also supports a solar panel array that is sufficient to meet household needs.

Photography©Kenji Arai

The house features a high-efficiency combination boiler, which supplies both radiant in-floor heating and domestic hot water. A hot water recirculation loop makes hot water available “on demand,” while reducing consumption. Other features include low-flush toilets and non-toxic, low-VOC finishes, which are used throughout the house.

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[View with PicLens]

Project Specifications

Location Venice, CA

Lot size 5280 sq ft

Building size 3794 sq ft

Courtyard size 476   sq ft

Building height 20 ft

Structure Steel and wood

Heating Hydronic radiant slab

Electricity Grid-tied solar

Insulation Icynene spray foam insulation, recycled cotton fibre battens

Green finishes & fixtures Cork and cork-rubber flooring, low-VOC paint, formaldehyde-free  cabinetry,  LED lighting (including retrofit of existing), dual-flush toilets

Construction Waste A majority of construction waste was diverted from the landfill and sent  to a local recycling depot

Photography Kenji Arai, Danna Kinsky