California architecture

An overview of projects, products and exclusive articles about california architecture

Project • By STUDIO KEETAPrivate Houses

Beachwood Canyon Treehouse

Situated a top a long, private driveway, on a secluded lot, Beachwood Canyon Treehouse is a quintessential post-and-beam home, reimagined by STUDIO KEETA. Originally built in 1957, the sprawling two-story property had built-in character from its previous life. The wraparound floor-to-ceiling walls of glass frame clear vistas: the Griffith Observatory to the east, the iconic Hollywood sign to the North, and distant ocean views to the west. Ye Rin Mok Ye Rin Mok Ye Rin Mok Commissioned to update the property, the home was restored to honor the original midcentury modern architecture. The renovation comprised of bespoke finishes and eclectic details to capture the whimsy essence of the client, a high-profile musician, inhabiti... More

NewsNews • 23 Oct 2023

LMN Architects completes Interactive Learning Pavilion at UC Santa Barbara

Seattle-based LMN Architects has completed the development of an Interactive Learning Pavilion at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). A state-of-the-art educational facility, the pavilion is part of the University’s Pacific shoreline campus. Patrick Price Tim Griffith The new Interactive Learning Pavilion is the first dedicated classroom building to be constructed on the UCSB campus since 1967. The 90,000-square-feet (8,361-square-meter) pavilion provides 2,000 classroom seats across a mix of contemporary learning environments, including: five tiered lecture theaters, three active learning spaces, twenty flexible classrooms, a technical office suite, and informal teaching spaces. LMN Architects descr... More

Project • By AssembledgePrivate Houses

Oakdell Residence

Nestled in the hills of the Fryman Canyon Estates area in Studio City, California, the Oakdell Residence is a remodel and addition to an existing 1960’s mid-century home. Originally built in 1957, the one-story, 3,900 square feet property remained a kind of a  midcentury time capsule until rejuvenated by Assembledge+. Lisa Romerein Lisa Romerein At the heart of the original design was a saw-tooth floor plan that offered views in multiple directions.  However, beyond this core, the floor plan was congested and connectivity throughout the home and site was limited. The client’s wish was to create an airy and light space throughout maximizing views of the surrounding landscape while drawing on the home’s... More

NewsNews • 14 Sep 2022

Large-scale adaptive use of a Cape Cod-style building transforms a California waterfront

Situated on a concrete podium 6’0 above the West Coast Highway in Newport Beach, this California project by Shubin Donaldson features large-scale adaptive reuse and transformation of a 4-storey Cape Cod-style building dating from the 1980s. Benny Chan   The project embraces a modern marine/coastal aesthetic with the removal of embellishments to reveal a clean and timeless geometry. While remaining in compliance with the Coastal Commission’s strict reframing constraints, existing dormers were demolished in place of inset terraces that provide building occupants with fresh air, natural light, and unobstructed views of the bay.  Benny Chan   Inside, removing floor slabs allows double-height spac... More

NewsNews • 4 Jul 2022

Sonoma home by Mork-Ulnes Architects is defined by a strong concrete structural framework

Overlooking the vineyards of California’s Sonoma landscape, the Frame House by Mork-Ulnes Architects is defined by a strong concrete structural framework.  Bruce Damonte Forming a loggia that runs along three sides of the home’s exterior, the concrete frame maximizes indoor to outdoor connections and provides shade while also providing natural light and expansive deck views. The house has an extroverted relationship to the surrounding landscape, connecting the interior in almost every room to the California climate. Bruce Damonte While materials were selected for their natural and organic look and feel, the main driver in terms of material selection was the threat of wildfire and the need for wildfire prevention... More

Project • By Relativity ArchitectsApartments

Imagine Village Apartments

Imagine Village Apartments is designed with the community and environment in mind.  Los Angeles-based firm HC+RA, a collaborative studio endeavor comprising Hatch-Colasuonno Studio and Relativity Architects, created a LEED Gold affordable housing community of 76 mixed units to support veterans and low-income families in Lancaster, CA.  Integrated into the arid high-desert landscape, the affordable housing complex of four connected buildings also serves as an extension of an existing network of the adjacent adoption/foster center, support services, and community areas.  Utilizing the two-acre site, HC+RA achieved a balance of density and open space by programming multiple three-level buildings with varying resident and unit ty... More

NewsNews • 23 Mar 2022

11NOHO by Brooks + Scarpa challenges conventional apartment building design by celebrating social space and courtyard typology

Challenging the typical defensive neighbourhood apartment of this North Hollywood neighbourhood, 11NOHO by Brooks + Scarpa is a beacon of the neighbourhood that celebrates social space by de-emphasizing private space. Taking the form of a carved-out cube, strategically placed windows and circulation that wraps the outermost edges of the building help to orient the 60 apartments visually and physically to the social spaces below. Tara Wujcik Dating back to the classic post-World War II Spanish Colonial Revival Ambrose Gardens and Irving Gill’s 1918 Horatio House, courtyard apartments have a rich history in southern California. As a response to the climate and desire for outdoor living, courtyard spaces provide a sense of safety a... More

Project • By AssembledgePrivate Houses

Posetano

Set along the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades and within a short walk to the ocean, the Posetano Residence offers 270 degrees of endless ocean views to the southwest of the Pacific Ocean, and north to Santa Monica mountains. Caption The volume of the home is a three-story structure comprised of concrete, wood, steel, and glass; clad in smooth stucco and travertine. The floor plan provides an indoor to outdoor connection, enhanced by the transparent walls that allow for plenty of natural light and maximize views of the coastline. Caption Inside, the main level allows for fluid movement between the kitchen, dining, and living room spaces, visually and physically connected to the outside. The addition to the remodel cons... More

NewsNews • 14 May 2021

Ridge Mountain House arises from the austere beauty of the desert

In Palm Springs, California, the Ridge Mountain House by EYRC Architects arises from the austere beauty of the desert landscape. With colossal views over the Coachella Valley to the east, the tranquil weekend home harmonizes with the colours and rhythms of the land. Joe Fletcher Embedded into a craggy hill, the ground floor of the houses comprises two cast-in-place concrete volumes with 12 ft ceilings. The smaller volume contains a den and service spaces while the larger volume includes a main living area, kitchen and dining room. A pure square in form, the larger volume includes a glass wall that opens up completely to a large deck with an infinity pool. Lance Gerber The two volumes are separated by a double volume light-filled... More

Project • By HEDAuditoriums

El Capitan HS Event Center: Grossmont USD

The Grossmont Union High School District entrusted HED with the development and design of an iconic, multifunctional new event center. Sited on the El Capitan High School campus, the design needed to meet four primary goals: represent the cultural heritage of El Capitan High School; incorporate indoor and outdoor areas; provide students with a unique learning experience; and seamlessly integrate with the existing on-campus architecture.   To achieve these goals, we began by dividing the complex into two buildings, establishing a dramatic, focal entrance and creating connected outdoor spaces. Inspired by the campus and by El Capitan’s alma mater, we designed the structure to reference the lines and angles of the region&r... More

Project • By e2 Design StudioHotels

SW Beach Hotel

Our clients came to us with their dream project to re brand their small boutique hotel, needless to say we were very excited to be a part of this. With the addition of a roof top deck to maximize the ocean views from this amazing location we came up with the idea to also relocate the lobby as the city required us to create on site parking at this location.  The most important aspect of this project for out client was to ensure that the " beach feel" of this commutity translated into the design and flow of the spaces, our new loby has captured this inside out california coastal style  along with many new spaces that capture the light and beaty of this coastal community. More

Project • By CO ArchitectsHospitals

Palomar Medical Center

CO Architects conceptualized a functional and flexible vertical garden hospital set within a campus configuration.  The greenfield site—part of a 186-acre business park currently under development—is bounded by residential property to the west, light industrial development to the north, Citracado Parkway and a Sempra power plant to the east, and future business park development  to the south.  The plan positions the hospital at the north end of the site, where there is the greatest width to accommodate necessary access points and circulation.     The signature patient tower building—with its gently curving form—figuratively opens its arms to welcome patients.  A vertical garden at the... More

Project • By Clayton KorteWineries

Fulldraw Winery

Fulldraw Vineyard, located in the heart of the California Central Coast wine country’s Templeton Gap, and its new winery sits sentry to 100 acres of established vineyards. Working intimately with the winemaking team, the first phase of the new facility includes a Fermentation Building with covered Crush Pad, administrative and employee spaces, and a Barrel Aging and Case Goods Storage Building. The second phase will bring to the campus a new Tasting Room with private administration space.     Responding to site topography and climatic influences of sun and prevailing breezes, the steel-framed “barn” houses open-air fermentation spaces that foster cross-ventilation, utilize night cooling, and provide a well-lit... More

Project • By Clayton KorteWineries

Copia Vineyards

Establishing itself as the bedrock central to Copia Vineyards’ 50-acre estate, this new production winery and tasting room facility is located among the scenic hills of the Willow Creek District on the western side of Paso Robles, California. The combination of calcareous soil and steep slopes make for ideal growing conditions to produce premium, well-balanced Rhone varietals. The building responds directly to hillside terroir, the climatic influences of the sun and prevailing breezes enjoyed by the Central Coast. A simple layout facilitates the production of small-lot, Rhone-style blends of up to 3,000-5,000 cases annually. Positioned in the heart of the vineyard, the new winery includes open-air fermentation space that receives nat... More

Project • By Clayton KorteWineries

Cayucos Ridge Barn

Flanking 30 acres of Syrah vineyard along the Santa Lucia Range this simple wood-skinned barn houses vineyard farming equipment, grape picking bins, tool storage and an open-air workshop area. An off the grid structure, roof mounted crystalline PV modules recharge a battery bank located in the barn. The vineyard manager and occasional guests experience the Coastal Live Oak filled woods to the east and the vineyard on the west.  Materials are selected for their simple elegance and long-term durability. Ebonized cedar siding and weathering steel clad the building skin. Interior spaces are paneled with raw plywood and are contrasted with painted cabinetry. Clayton Korte Clayton Korte Clayton Korte Clayton Korte More