A residential development in the Los Angeles hills combines multiple residences into single house-shaped volumes.
Los Angeles, like many cities in Australia, is in the middle of a tranformation that will see it change from being being a city of sprawling suburbs, to one that enjoys the social and environmental benefits of higher density living.
A new development called Blackbird creates medium density dwellings that have the appearance of single homes. The development contains nine buildings, but 18 individual homes, each with two or three bedrooms. The development is on a 3,318sqm parcel of land in the Echo Park neighbourhood of Los Angeles.
Bestor Architects, the designers, call the strategy 'stealth density', because it achieves higher density living but has the appearance of single homes and maintains open space.
The buildings in Blackbrid are grey and white and clad in fibre-cement and standing-steam metal. They extend along a open area that accommodates parking and informal social interactions.
The homes have large windows which enjoy views of the city and surrounding mountains and allow natural light to flood inside. Some apartments have balconies, others have drought-tolerant gardens.
"The community is a thoughtful blend of private, semi-private and public space, and promotes connections with neighbours and the community by encouraging interaction and exchange," the architects told Dezeen.
See also:
Designing density for blue-chip suburbs