Set into a hillside of the prestigious Los Feliz Oaks neighborhood is an extraordinary new home by award winning architect Andrew Liang and his Los Angeles based firm LAB+ Architects. The house exhibits a clarity of architectural ideas, precision in construction, and sophistication of detailing that are exceptional. Site orientation allows for sweeping views of the surrounding hills and canyon, including the iconic Hollywood sign. The planning and engineering of the home is a combination of tried-and-true methods and the latest in advanced building technologies for hillside construction. A centrally located glass-walled atrium is a principal design element, providing ventilation through the home and channelling natural light into the interior spaces throughout the day. Architectural concrete construction with vertical board-form finish provides robust structure and tactile aesthetic qualities. The building systems are state of the art, with interior environment control managed through a computerized monitoring system. In addition to controlling temperature, this system also monitors interior air quality, humidity, and dew point. Heating and cooling are delivered through a dual stage full hydronic, micro-zoned system. An 8-kW rooftop solar installation largely provides the electrical load required during daytime usage and feeds unused generated power back to the utility grid for credit towards city power grid supplied usage.The Sky-Frame and Quantum brand windows and doors are fitted with ultra-high-performance glazing. This, together with the concrete wall construction, insulated exterior rain screen cladding system, and passive cooling atrium design keep the energy requirements of the home to a minimum. The ensemble of finish materials consisting of walnut ceilings, travertine flooring, quartzite countertops, terrazzo, and Japanese ceramic tiles were all selected for their durability, beauty, natural warmth and texture to both complement and contrast the architectural concrete construction. In all, a level of sophistication has been achieved that exudes timelessness and permanence- surely a new landmark of Los Angeles architecture.
