San Lorenzo

Mike Jacobs Architecture - Design Intern
Pacific Palisades - 2007

Located at the end of a canyon road, the San Lorenzo House responds to and engages its surrounding landscapes: an interior private garden to the south and the manicured fairways of a golf course to the north.

Following a careful zoning study, two interlocking “L-shaped” gestures emerged to formally and programmatically organize the house: an open and transparent enclosure, a veranda, (steel/glass) that incorporates the communal living spaces of garden, pool, living rooms and theater; and an opaque enclosure (stucco/cedar) that holds the basic form of the house and incorporates the private bedrooms and service spaces.

The large open living space is central to the organization and performance of the house; the space of exchange. Pocket sliding doors, opening the south wall to the garden, and north facing windows, unfolding to view the fairways, create direct connections to the exterior. These large openings passively cool the house and draw fresh air deep into the residual spaces to naturally ventilate the home.

Social exchange is expressed in section. An elongated formal stair links the terraced living spaces to the exterior and connects to the theater below.

A pair of secondary flanking stairs provide access from the residual private rooms and service areas. These multiple points-of-entry produce a constant interchange between the family unit.

Critical Acclaim


Winner - 2011 Design Honor Award, Los Angeles Chapter American Institute of Architects
Published - 2013 Fall: California Home & Design

Credits


Project Credits - Mike Jacobs, Artur Grochowski, Dan Nissimov, Maria Tiliakos, & Momo Araki
Furnishings - design Lo:Ca, Pascha Goodwin
General Contracting - MFH Construction
Structural Engineering - Gordon Polon Consulting Engineers
Photography - Michael Wells Photography

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