Perched on a hilltop in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles, overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the Los Angeles basin, the project gently lands a dynamic building on top of a buried podium that replicates the natural topography that was once there before the area was subdivided for development. The project utilizes the split-level design to follow this topography uphill and to connect the floor plates with half-story connections.

Architecture, Construction & Design Awards 2022
Third Award | Private Residence (Small-Medium) (Built)

Project Name: RO54
Project Category: Private Residence (Small-Medium) (Built)
Studio Name: Arshia Architects
Design Team:

  • Arshia Mahmoodi (Design Principal)
  • Xinlei Li (Project Manager, Project Designer)
  • Yuheng Huang (Project Designer)
  • Fang Cui (Project Designer)
  • Ruby Wu (Project Designer)
  • Zhishan Liu (Project Designer)

Area: 6,713 sf
Year: 2022
Location: 1254 Roberto LN, Bel Air, CA 90077
Consultants:
Structural Engineer:  BOLD Engineer & Associates Inc.
MEP Engineer:  GMEP Engineers
Civil Engineer:  GreyStone Engineering Group Inc.
Soil Engineer:  Hillside Inspections, Inc.
Photography Credits: Paul Vu ;   Renee Parkhurst ;   Yuheng Huang;
Other Credits:  General Contractor: Domaen Build Inc

This project engages an exercise in spatial relationships to accelerate the programs of the house. The building has a split-level configuration in lieu of a traditional stacked story configuration, where floor plates connect by means of vertical circulation. The plates form adjacencies, both visual and functional therefore allowing twice the utility of an otherwise dissected arrangement.

RO54 | Arshia Architects - Sheet1
©Paul Vu ; Renee Parkhurst ; Yuheng Huang;
RO54 | Arshia Architects - Sheet2
©Paul Vu ; Renee Parkhurst ; Yuheng Huang;

The design was informed by streamline automotive design, proposing every technology in the house to have exponent performance behind the scenes, allowing the architectural space to deliver a sensory performance.