Architect：Lehrer Architects

Location：Los Angeles, CA, USA; | ;

Category：Housing

–Designed and built for less than $200K, start-to-finish, this starter home prototype elevates the typology by creating spatial complexities, a sense of luxury and energy independence not usually found in this type of housing;

-It honors and energizes underserved neighborhoods by simultaneously fitting in and standing out.

Measuring in at a modest 1,000 sq. ft., the design of this home aims to honor the rudiments of good living:

-Welcoming canopy soars above the entry, doubles as a carport; its roofline mimics and yet departs from adjacent structures;

-Processional entry maximizes views throughout the property;

-Skylights and floor to ceiling glass allow for generously daylit spaces and seamless indoor-outdoor living;

-High ceilings create a sense of luxury;

-Vivid colors animate and delineate the spaces;

-Direct connection to landscape and garden creating a variety of open spaces;

-2 KW PV array provides enough power for off-the-grid living;

-700 gl rain barrels capture stormwater;

Using every tool in the architect’s palette—light and shadow, scale, proportion, shaped dramatic view-sheds, leaving no throwaway spaces, color, xeriscape planting, and permeable surfaces—generous home-and-gardens are created that fit into existing neighborhoods while energizing and honoring them.

This prototype shows that dignity, sustainability, a sense of luxury, and healthy living are not reserved for those at the top of the social ladder.

, American Institute of Architects - Los Angeles, 2018

, American Institute of Architects - California Council, 2017

, American Institute of Architects - Los Angeles, 2017

, American Institute of Architects - Los Angeles, 2017

, Pacific Coast Builders Conference, 2017