Lehrer Residence    Los Angeles, California




The recently completed Lehrer residence is a case study in environmental materials and methods. Despite its size of approximately 7,500 square feet this project strives to incorporate resource and energy efficiency as design determinants. The form of the house is derived in part by the site with its views overlooking the stone canyon reservoir, the city, valley and the mountains beyond. A large curved wall makes a single arc from the front to the rear of the property, covered in steel troweled black cement, this wall serves to bifurcate the house into public and private spaces. A stair and elevator are fabricated out of open perforated steel, woven wire fabric and mesh create an open shaft used as a solar chimney to exhaust and recover heat which collects at the high ceilings of the living room and master bedroom. The master bedroom cantilevers dramatically to maximize the views, by floating over the rear yard setback, the bedroom is able to extend into a group of mature pine trees without disturbing their root structure. The project incorporates several innovative materials and systems which include but are not limited to the following: Solar domestic, pool and radiant heating, natural ventilation strategies including heat recovery and exhaust by solar chimney, engineered wood products, trusses and steel framing, recylced lumber, high performance heat mirror glazing and low voc paint. Materials of pigmented stucco, plaster and concrete, bonderized sheet metal, Syndecrete^®, translucent glass, beech and exposed fir timbers are used to create a pallet for this contemporary natural home.