Dark Light House: A Single-Family Residence with Two Volumes and Gentle Topography

This single-family residence is located in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles, designed by Aaron Neubert Architects. Dark Light House has gentle topography and also a bigger opportunity to capture awesome views of its surroundings. This house is also arranged into two interlocking volumes to respond to its design context.

Design

The gentle topography of this residence is located near the highland of the surrounding hills, allowing the residence to get more views of the Griffith Observatory, Hollywood sign, and Downtown Los Angeles. The opportunity to capture those awesome views is influenced by the orientation and position of the home.

Volumes

This house is arranged into two interlocking volumes: a “bar” and a “cube”. These volumes can respond to the massing, scale, and setbacks of the house’s suburban context while maximizing the relationship between the distant vistas beyond and the landscape. By weaving these two volumes, the stair core of the house can serve as the interior center of the home and its activity inside.

Rooms

The “cube” can be found on the ground floor and it contains the voluminous kitchen opening to the pool terrace and a garage. While the deck and the well-illuminated family room are stacked above on the second floor of the house. The expansive terrace, a fully glazed living room, internally positioned dining room, and a street-oriented den are located on the ground floor of the “bar” with laundry room and bedroom on the second floor.

A private terrace is enveloped by the interior spaces of the home, screened from the street and neighboring properties. It can promote direct access to a dining area, exterior living area, landscape, and pool. Located adjacent to the family room, the exterior deck offers sunset views while the balcony of the master bedroom looks out towards the Griffith Park.

Dark Light House