Located in Griffith Park, this private residence asks what happens when the container/contained relation in architecture is broken. What is it to be contained only partially by something else? Can something be a discrete thing and also be part of something larger? What is the status of an interior space that has slipped to the exterior? How do you draw a plan of that?
A Box Full of Toys
This project avoids subdividing mass into compartments such as rooms and corridors to focus instead on figures that are incongruous with-- and even breach-- their container. These figures-- known as “jack-ur-rats,” or half jack and half ziggurat-- exist half-inside and half-outside their container, like a collection of toys that are too big for their box. Occasionally, the jack-ur-rats are sheared off parallel with their container, creating a visual continuity where there are only discrete objects and joints. Silhouette, normally defined by a thing’s outermost edge, is sometimes seen travelling into the interior of the building through glazed openings.
Location: Los Angeles, California
Floor Area: 4,500 SF
Program: Residential
