A 19 unit housing project, located adjacent to Rudolph Schindler’s landmark Kings Road house, the project addresses issues of density and public-private boundaries. Habitat 825, reinterprets Schindler’s explorations of light, material, color, and common space for in an organizational strategy that caters contemporary city living.
Habitat825 presented an opportunity to consider the cultural and social impacts of building adjacent to a historic site. Built in 1922 on expansive land, the Schindler House is considered the first Modernist residence, incorporating new ideals of common and engaging space. Its two woven “L” forms comprise two separate family apartments, and its permeable walls and shared cooperative courtyard set precedents for Southern California multi-unit housing. Habitat825’s own interlinked “L” masses promote a brand of integrated living that follows in the same vein set by Schindler over 90 years ago.
Measures were taken to preserve the Schindler House’s relationship with its landscape. Habitat825’s section fluctuates in height to avoid casting direct shadows, and its plan bends inward to open up along the bordering property line to allow breathing room. Internally, a loose central courtyard is bound by weaved circulation. Walkways open and constrict, encouraging impromptu interactions. Habitat825’s 19 units all open to this common space. Landscaping, rather than “hard” boundaries, delineates areas set within the common Courtyard.
The pushed-back front façade promotes a semi-public zone that offers benches between the building and the street. The building cultivates an agenda for urban community both within and beyond its walls.
