ArchShowcase Sanjay Gangal
Sanjay Gangal is the President of IBSystems, the parent company of AECCafe.com, MCADCafe, EDACafe.Com, GISCafe.Com, and ShareCG.Com. Gelb House rehabilitation in Los Angeles by bruce norelius studioOctober 24th, 2013 by Sanjay Gangal
Article source: bruce norelius studio Commissioned in 1949 and owned by the original family for 60 years, the Gelb House was one of the least modified in A. Quincy Jones’ Mutual Housing Association, an ambitious experiment in Los Angeles post-war housing. Each architectural element and detail was designed and executed with extraordinary economy and elegance.
The post-and-beam frame is laterally reinforced with judiciously placed redwood-cladshear walls and exposed concrete block elements. Exterior window and door jambs are integrated into the structure, without a redundant move anywhere. Principal materials consist of concrete, concrete block, redwood cladding, and douglas fir posts, beams and plywood. Our first aim was to respect the original house and to maintain its spirit. However, when we have made interventions, our goal was to express them—quietly—as independent from the 1949 fabric. Kitchen cabinetry is oiled steel and appears almost black; lighting fixtures hang on cables and provide indirect light. The landscape strategy moved away from the original semi-tropical concept, probably typical of its time, to a no-water, mostly native and dry-climate landscape. Each design decision has been made deliberately and with the understanding it could be reversed in the future when, no doubt, a different attitude toward preservation and rehabilitation will predominate. Contact bruce norelius studio
Tags: Los Angeles, U.S.A. Categories: House, Rehabilitation |