The Three Step House derives its name from the design approach we took to addressing the site. The steep vacant hillside lot presented peculiar creative and technical challenges. The lot was virgin, a rarity in the dense Silverlake area. The slope profile was inordinately steep and local codes demanded inventive grading strategies.

Site access conditions warranted significant advance planning for excavation, shoring and construction. Therefore the design process needed deep familiarity with hillside logistics, codes, topography, grading, framing, sustainability and cost implications of each idea.

The site affords spectacular metropolitan views. The primary design approach therefore centered around making people gently climb the equivalent of four stories without registering the verticality of the journey. Dividing the journey into a series of interconnected and habitable “steps” was therefore the proposed solution.