Project Description
2006 RADA
Custom / 3,500 Square Feet Or Less / Merit
Sure, this solar-powered house costs almost nothing to run. But what most impressed the judges was its thoughtful site analysis and the way the landscape slips in and out of the house. That was what Lawrence Scarpa, AIA, and Angela Brooks, AIA, intended for their home renovation and two-story addition, a former bungalow near Venice Beach. “Energy efficiency is just part of what we do,” Scarpa says. “The big concept for us was about climate and the idea of making the house a pavilion in the garden.”
Inspired by Paul Rudolph’s Umbrella House, the design features a solar canopy that wraps the south wall and roof, screening out the scorching sun while providing the residence with all of its electricity. Because streets run in front and back, the designers were able to reorient the house 180 degrees, transforming the old backyard into a gracious entry courtyard that faces south. “It’s a thoughtful solution to the problem of how you drop a modern building into a traditional neighborhood,” said one judge.