all about ADU’s

indoors or outdoors or both

What is the best and most optimal way to use your backyard’s potential and transform existing traditional spaces into inspired and luxurious indoor-outdoor living spaces? There are countless options in migrating indoor activities to the fresh breeze, and make them a focal point for your family activities, working from home, etc. With the right space, the possibilities are endless…

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the compound

Our Escalon Residence project consists of an addition to an existing modernist house and a twofold backyard renovation. First we are doing a major site rehab including an outdoor kitchen with bbq & pizza oven and swimming pool; and secondly we are adding an ADU or an Accessory Dwelling Unit built into the side of the hill. Both are integrated into the overall aesthetic of the existing mid century residence, so it seems like the entire compound was always there. The site is also working intensely with the existing hillside topography in a way that offers a sustainable and least intrusive impact on the surrounding natural habitat of the Santa Monica mountains.

play + ground

Kids learn and grow on multiple levels in the classroom but outside of it as well. They read and write but they also learn through motion and through the senses. They observe and interact with their environment on so many levels. They interact with one another and they use their imagination and creativity… Play is such an important aspect of learning and development that we wanted to dedicate some thought to how we allow for more play to happen both in an academic setting and beyond.

learning and dreaming

To encourage play at its best we designed this Mondrian-esque court for a private school situated in a very compact urban campus in Los Angeles. In a very small footprint we incorporated a variety of spaces for both work and play! We used basic wooden and colored cubical components, divided and stacked into few zones, leaving enough open space for active and creative play. The cubes are set in multiple levels, creating platforms for social interaction, focused instruction, demonstrations, team huddles and reflective moments, like daydreaming!