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Location: Los Angeles, California

Project size: 3,740 square feet

Program: House Stepping Down a Hill rests on a natural promontory in Los Angeles with views out to Silver Lake Reservoir and the San Gabriel Mountains. The owners, who lived in the neighboring historic Lipetz House, designed by Raphael Soriano in 1936, saw an opportunity to build a larger primary residence on the property.

Design Solution: In contrast to the streamlined and moderne character of the Lipetz House, the new house steps down the hill in a contemporary idiom, creating a peaked roofline that mimics the landscape without obscuring views from the historic property. Two large roof trusses enclose the main living space, which is flanked to the north by a pavilion, one half-floor lower, that contains a suite of bedrooms. On one side of the house, a covered deck faces west, and on the other, the rough U-shape of its plan cradles an exterior patio and pool with extensive vistas to the east.

Structure and Materials: The house carefully considers the Western American environment in which it resides and materiality is intentionally industrial and minimal in nature. Board-formed concrete anchors the house to its site, while 80-millimeter PVC wraps the roof and key vertical surfaces as a low-cost protective solution in a high fire zone. The pool can also be emptied in the event of a wildfire.

Additional Information
Completion date: June 2020
Site size in acres: 0.32 acres
Total construction cost: Withheld
Client/owner: Annie Weisman Macomber and William Macomber

LA Hillstop House interior.

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LA Hillstop House interior.

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LA Hillstop House interior.

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Hillstop residence, bathroom.

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Hillstop residence, bathroom.

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Photos by Bruce Damonte

Hillstop residence, plan.

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Hillstop residence, plan.

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Hillstop Residence, site plan.

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Hillstop Residence, site plan.

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Drawings courtesy the firm

Credits

Architect:
Bestor Architecture
2030 Hyperion Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90027

Personnel in the firm who should receive special credit:
Principal-in-Charge: Barbara Bestor, FAIA
Project Architects: Daniel Rabin, Courtney Embrey
Landscape Designer: Michelle Frier
Project Team: Sunny Lam, Lauren Amador, Danielle Yip

Interior designer:
Amy Sklar Design

Engineers:
Civil Engineer: Delane Engineering
Geotechnical Engineer: Rybak Geotechnical
Structural Engineer: Nous Engineering

Consultants:
Energy Consultant: Newton Energy
Lighting Consultant: KGM
Millwork: Able & Baker/Josh Ganzhorn
Concrete: KGM/Kevin Mullen
Doors/Windows: Associate Building Materials/Chris Thompson
Roofing: Allied Roofing & Waterproofing

General contractor:
Allen Construction

Photographer: 
Bruce Damonte