The threat of wildfires can be scary. Your mind turns to concerns for your family, friends, neighbors, pets, and wildlife. The thought of losing your home and material possessions along with all the memories are irreplaceable items that can be overwhelming.
Radiant floor heating is an excellent choice for renovations in Southern California. Many of the existing homes in and around Los Angeles were not originally built with heating or air conditioning. This means that no ductwork exists and when you’re doing a renovation, trying to figure out how and where to install ductwork has its challenges. Many times you can’t go through existing walls because it either changes the aesthetic of the architecture and, equally bad, it can’t be done because of structural concerns.
When you are a design-build firm and you are hired to do a major renovation of a historically significant home, it’s a bit like being a detective. The owners of these homes are generally interested in preserving the character and style of the home–all the things they love about it–and getting rid of all the things they hate. You’ve got to work with them to figure out these important details and to also discover what the the original architect’s intentions were.
The first meeting with a client starts with questions. I ask, “How are you going to interact with the space?” and “How can I enhance your lifestyle with an indoor-outdoor feel?” Perhaps they want a wow factor that their friends will be impressed by, or they just want to enjoy a glass of wine in solitude by the pool. It depends on the client.
The California Energy Commission has ruled that by 2020 solar panels will be required on all new homes with limited exemptions. For many people this may seem sudden. You may be one of them… feeling surprised, wanting to know more. However, this is one of several actions that have happened in the state over the last decade to move us toward sustainability–all as part of a larger plan.
Green roofs, also known as vegetated roof covers or eco-roofs, consist of layers of living vegetation installed on top of conventional flat or sloping roofs. While pondering design options for an upcoming project, we began exploring the idea of utilizing a green roof system. The discussion came about because the home is situated on a hillside and we wanted to see how we could best preserve the view of the neighbor further up the hillside. However, green roofs have value that goes far beyond aesthetics.
Saturday Night’s episode of the long running and iconic late night comedy troupe, SNL brought a visit by Barbie™ to the Compartés Chocolate Shop in Westfield Century City. The funny skit shows Barbie with the Compartés store front behind her holding one of Compartés tasty frozen hot chocolates and a clutch purse.
Let’s face it, garage doors serve a utilitarian function. But for many architects and homeowners, the garage door is one of the least glamorous aspects of a home—-and for good reason. Most garage doors are simply ugly and uninspired.
One of the fundamental ways architects think about design is how the structure will interact with the land and the environment. Unlike the needs for mass GI housing after WWII, where builders clear cut the land and plopped down tract homes, today’s architecture is focused on integrating with the environment and reducing the overall footprint created by building and maintaining the structure. Some people may call this Green Architecture, but we also refer to it as Smart Architecture with tangible benefits.
Breathtaking, long-range and panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean are the highlight of our project in Las Canoas. We are turning the steep hillside into usable space with a multi-tiered, multi-decked approach that is dramatically expanding the outdoor living area and opening the interior spaces to the beautiful outdoors and Pacific Ocean.
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