Atwater Village, Los Angeles, CA
Schematic Design | 2003

The urban model of working downtown and living in faraway suburbia is killing our cities and our environment. It mandates our reliance on automobiles and means we spend less of our lives with family and friends and more in frustrating traffic jams. It means our cities are full of cars and boulevards and parking lots, instead of pedestrians and houses and shops. We need a better way.

Housing prices have long been out of control in Los Angeles. Land in the city is scarce and expensive; few can afford to live where they work. The Atwater Live-Work Duplex was a conceptual design for reducing the cost of living and combating urban sprawl by increasing the yield of each residential lot. Instead of a placing 1 House on a standard lot (50’ x 100’ = 5,000 S.F.), the Atwater Duplex incorporates 2 Houses and 2 Offices into 1 Standard Lot (5,000 S.F.).

The Atwater design not only saves money by splitting the cost of the land between two families and minimizing construction costs by sharing a roof. It also provides a potential source of income for each family who can rent the separate offices to small business owners or to college students or grandparents (as efficiencies).

The relationship between Home and Office works symbiotically, in that while the family is away at school/work, the business owner is present, and by the time the business owner leaves for the day the family is just returning. From a safety standpoint, this means that the houses/neighborhood is always protected by virtue of “eyes on the street.” And since there is little if any overlap, there is less likelihood of annoyance or privacy issues. But just in case there are issues, the homes are designed with their own private courtyards, private entries, and views facing in the opposite direction of the offices.

In consideration of the neighbors, the Atwater Duplex has a flat roof so that it matches the height of its 2-story neighbors—and a long, narrow massing which ensures that neighbors still have plenty of sunlight and view. The bulk of the duplex is placed at the back of the site (adjacent to the L.A. River), so that the street façade remains intact and so that the families can enjoy the river view.

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