“It’s so Venice,” said one of our judges. “And it makes a wonderful courtyard space.” In a way, Palms House II is all about creating that courtyard space between it and Palms House I, also designed by kevin daly Architects for a multigenerational family.
It was important to provide the family—a couple with two children and their parents—with places to come together and be apart. Says Kevin, “Everyone has 850 square feet to themselves,” including private outdoor spaces in addition to the communal courtyard and pool.
Adding onto your own work is a daunting challenge for architects, and the firm was adamant about extending the language of the first house instead of duplicating it. Expressive screens reappear on the new building, too, but wood is the medium instead of metal. The new building feels more sinuously organic than the older one, tracing the evolution of the firm’s aesthetic. “It was really more pragmatic than sculptural,” says Kevin. “Privacy on small lots can be very compromised. So we used the screens, terraces, trees to keep both houses kind of open. We knew if it works from pavilion to pavilion, it works.”
“It’s not a kit of parts,” said our jury. “The design is carried through the entire project and feels so cohesive. Even with the materials change between the two phases, it really hangs together.”
Citation
Custom Urban House
Kevin Daly Architects
Palms House II
Venice, California
Project Credits
Architect: Kevin Daly, principal in charge; Gretchen Stoecker, project architect, kevin daly Architects, Los Angeles
Builder: CA Construction, Los Angeles
Landscape Architect: [place], Los Angeles
Structural Engineer: WORKPOINT Engineering, Los Angeles
Project Size: 3,400 square feet
Site Size: 0.123 acre
Construction Cost: $588 per square foot
Photography: Benny Chan; Joshua White
Key Products
Cladding: Thermory White Ash
Countertops: Walker Zanger; Caesarstone; Corian
Doors/Windows/Window Wall Systems: Western Windows
Faucets: VIGO; Speakman
Fireplace: European Home
Flooring: Concrete, ground and polished; Accoya
Heating: Radiant in-floor
HVAC: Mitsubishi mini-splits in bedrooms
Insulation/Housewrap: Tyvek
Kitchen Appliances: Miele
Sinks: Kraus (kitchen); Kohler; Duravit
Skylights: Custom from Sun Valley
Toilets: TOTO
Tubs: Kohler