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TIGERTAIL

LOS ANGELES, CA

Architecture Informed by Technology Sustainability Innovation, Tigertail Residence in Los Angeles by Tighe Architecture

The 3,200-square-foot residence, located in the Crestwood Hills neighborhood of Brentwood, California, is a postwar development of modest mid-century homes. It consists of a new two-story building integrated with the existing residence. The architecture builds upon the original intent of the pioneers of progressive development, such as A. Quincy Jones. Pragmatic aspects of the topography and more complex three-dimensional manipulations of form merge to respect but not mimic the site; however, various site conditions do inform the design. 

Architecture Informed by Technology Sustainability Innovation, Tigertail Residence in Los Angeles by Tighe Architecture
Architecture Informed by Technology Sustainability Innovation, Tigertail Residence in Los Angeles by Tighe Architecture
Architecture Informed by Technology Sustainability Innovation, Tigertail Residence in Los Angeles by Tighe Architecture

LOCATION

Los Angeles, CA

PROGRAM

Single Family Residence

SIZE

3,200 sq ft

STATUS

Completed 2008

DISTINCTIONS

AIA LA Design Award

CLIENT

Hugh MacDonald

COLLABORATORS

CM Peck, Structural

Architecture Informed by Technology Sustainability Innovation, Tigertail Residence in Los Angeles by Tighe Architecture
Architecture Informed by Technology Sustainability Innovation, Tigertail Residence in Los Angeles by Tighe Architecture
Architecture Informed by Technology Sustainability Innovation, Tigertail Residence in Los Angeles by Tighe Architecture

The residence is kept low, matching the scale of the neighboring homes along the street. The unusual geometry of the second-story volume results from existing conditions and setback regulations. Openings for views work with and against solid walls for shear and privacy, defining the building envelope. The project began with a modest home, typical of others in the neighborhood, built in the same period. The intervention of the contemporary addition results in a striking contrast through use of folded planes, metal panels, and forms and materials representative of the landscape.

Architecture Informed by Technology Sustainability Innovation, Tigertail Residence in Los Angeles by Tighe Architecture
Architecture Informed by Technology Sustainability Innovation, Tigertail Residence in Los Angeles by Tighe Architecture
Architecture Informed by Technology Sustainability Innovation, Tigertail Residence in Los Angeles by Tighe Architecture
Architecture Informed by Technology Sustainability Innovation, Tigertail Residence in Los Angeles by Tighe Architecture
Architecture Informed by Technology Sustainability Innovation, Tigertail Residence in Los Angeles by Tighe Architecture
Architecture Informed by Technology Sustainability Innovation, Tigertail Residence in Los Angeles by Tighe Architecture
Architecture Informed by Technology Sustainability Innovation, Tigertail Residence in Los Angeles by Tighe Architecture
Architecture Informed by Technology Sustainability Innovation, Tigertail Residence in Los Angeles by Tighe Architecture
Architecture Informed by Technology Sustainability Innovation, Tigertail Residence in Los Angeles by Tighe Architecture

A series of bent, steel moment frames noticeably straddle the existing one-story structure. Folded roof and wall planes, sheathed in interlocking metal panels, are an extension of the rolling topography of the hillside site. The wood-clad interior dissolves the distinctions between walls, ceiling, and floor. Views are framed by glass walls throughout, as the building projects outward to the city, the ocean, and the neighboring Getty Center in the distance.

Architecture Informed by Technology Sustainability Innovation, Tigertail Residence in Los Angeles by Tighe Architecture
Architecture Informed by Technology Sustainability Innovation, Tigertail Residence in Los Angeles by Tighe Architecture
Architecture Informed by Technology Sustainability Innovation, Tigertail Residence in Los Angeles by Tighe Architecture
Architecture Informed by Technology Sustainability Innovation, Tigertail Residence in Los Angeles by Tighe Architecture
Architecture Informed by Technology Sustainability Innovation, Tigertail Residence in Los Angeles by Tighe Architecture
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