American firm LOHA has completed a row of sculptural, metal-clad homes in Los Angeles that is meant to explore possibilities for the "small lot subdivision typology".
The Canyon Drive project is located near Hollywood, just south of Beachwood Canyon. Totalling 10,000 square feet (929 square metres), the housing development consists of five, three-story units on a slender, rectangular lot.
Aluminium panels cover the top portion of each volume at Canyon Drive
The project was informed by the City of LA's Small Lot Subdivision Ordinance, which was initiated by smart growth proponents and adopted in 2005.
"The ordinance aimed to encourage the construction of smaller, more affordable infill housing to target first-time home buyers in an increasingly unaffordable market," said local studio LOHA. Cedar wraps the two-car garage on the bottom level
Moreover, the ordinance was meant to increase density while preserving the residential scale of many LA neighbourhoods, the firm added.
"Our Canyon Drive project examines the small lot subdivision typology by taking advantage of its efficiencies of footprint and density while creating unique homes filled with light and air," said LOHA.
The building has a nautical appearance from some angles
The design began with a single mass that met the maximum allowable envelope. The mass was then divided up by tilting exterior walls at different angles, resulting in individual homes with an abstracted A-frame shape.
The ce...