Sustainable house in Los Angeles inspired by automotive design

Situated between the world-renowned luxury neighborhood of Beverly Hills and the Getty Museum, Bel Air offers views of the Pacific Ocean and the wild hilly landscape. It is here, on the summit of one of the hills, among classic houses with traditional red-brown tile roofs, that the architects from Arshia Architects have built a futuristic-looking house. Although at first glance it may seem that the bold design stands out amidst the surrounding structures, the opposite is true – it proportionally fits into the neighborhood. The architects aimed to provide an example of what types of buildings can be designed and constructed within the local building regulations. The state of California has very strict regulations for property constructions. Houses must meet numerous conditions, from precisely defined heights to the color of the façade, which can only be chosen from a very limited range of whites or beiges.

Sustainability First

The construction also meets strict California standards regarding requirements for eco-friendly buildings and energy savings, such as low-flow plumbing systems, rainwater filtration, integration of photovoltaic panels, highly effective building insulation, and more. Stringent regulatory conditions also apply to the planting around the house, which must be drought-resistant and not require frequent watering since California lacks its own water sources.

However, the architects from Arshia Architects go beyond these conditions and pay attention to the sustainability of the building from the perspective of the materials and products used. Thus, the effort for maximum sustainability is reflected not only in large areas of the most typical natural material – wood, but also in the smallest furnishing elements, such as door hardware. This exceptional feature was provided for this building by the Czech family manufactory M&T. "The YES! handle caught our attention primarily due to its aesthetic appeal and quality. However, we can say that it fulfilled more than just a beautiful and interesting appearance. We particularly liked it because it defies the established characteristics of a door handle," says Arshia Mahmoodi from the Arshia Architects office, continuing: "The handle has excellently concealed design, almost discreet. Moreover, it represents a story with its hidden lock, which we wanted to unlock and discover." Roman Ulich, the chief designer of Czech manufacturer M&T describes: "We strive to produce ethically sustainable, innovative, and design door hardware with an emphasis on quality. Our long-term vision was to design a comfortable silent operation of doors without the use of knobs and locks, and we achieved this with the contactless magnetic system Magnetic. Together with the YES! handle, it meets the highest durability requirements – they do not require later servicing. We provide a lifetime warranty for the entire system."

The Idea of Automotive Design

The principle of the used door hardware also fits into the overall design concept of the building, for which the architects were quite unconventionally inspired by automotive design – in the sense of minimalism and perfect purposeful simplicity. All technological elements in the interior are thus intentionally understated and hidden, allowing and enhancing the sensory experience of the architecturally perfect space with their absence.

Inspiration from automotive design also manifests itself in the attractive curves throughout the entire interior. The building utilizes a split structure that follows the typography of the hill. Perfectly using intermediate levels, it connects both main floors of the house into an impressive whole. On the lowest floor, which is partially set below ground level, there is an open space for gatherings with friends. It features a fireplace to create a pleasant atmosphere, as well as a built-in wine cellar. The staircase alongside the open space ascends to the spacious living room with large glazed surfaces, typical of the whole house. Perfect cutouts in the roof and between the individual floors allow natural daylight to penetrate even into places that would otherwise require lighting. The wide staircase in the center then leads to the kitchen and dining area, from which there is access to the garden adjacent to the house. The top floor serves as a private retreat for the household members.

The uniqueness of this building, whether viewed from the perspective of its innovative concept and appearance, as well as its sustainability, is confirmed by the fact that the house has already received twelve prestigious architectural awards.

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Location of the House: Los Angeles
Year of Completion: 2022
Suppliers and Manufacturers:

• General Contractor: Domaen Build Inc
• Structural Engineer: BOLD Engineer & Associates Inc.
• MEP Engineer: GMEP Engineers
• Soil Engineer: GreyStone Engineering Group Inc.
• Land Engineer: Hillside Inspections, Inc.
• Door Hardware: M&T, Magnetic, YES! handles, www.magnetic-mt.cz

Authors: Arshia Architects, www.arshia.net

• Arshia Mahmoodi (Design Principal)
• Xinlei Li (Project Manager, Project Designer)
• Yuheng Huang (Project Designer)
• Fang Cui (Project Designer)
• Ruby Wu (Project Designer)
• Zhishan Liu (Project Designer)

Awards Received:

• ACDA_Architecture, Construction & Design Awards-2022-RO54
• AMP–ARCHITECTURE MASTERPRIZE-2022-RO54
• ARCHITECT OF THE YEAR AWARDS-2022-RO54
• BEST OF YEAR_INTERIOR DESIGN MAGAZINE-2022-RO54
• BUILT DESIGN AWARDS-2022-RO54
• GLOBAL FUTURE DESIGN AWARDS-2022-RO54
• IDA-IDESIGN AWARDS-2022-RO54
• LABC-LAAA-LOS ANGELES ARCHITECTURAL AWARDS-2022-RO54
• LIT – LIGHTING DESIGN AWARDS-2022-RO54
• LIV HOSPITALITY DESIGN AWARDS-RO54
• LONDON INTERNATIONAL CREATIVE COMPETITION-2022-RO54
• LOOP DESIGN AWARDS-2022-RO54
• OUTSTANDING PROPERTY AWARD LONDON-2022-RO54