Second House
Los Angeles, Completed 2018 AIA LA Residential Honor Award, 2019 AIA Next LA Citation Award, 2017
![Second-House-1](https://images.ctfassets.net/fijvxsewilzf/3I7ElpwiKtMQ23CO7RAcHR/fdf5ee803f7581d3cf3a0ecdd6799b40/Second-House-1.jpg?fm=webp)
This 1500 square foot house on an extremely tight site is an intricate aggregation of interior and exterior volumes.
![Second-House-2](https://images.ctfassets.net/fijvxsewilzf/2FTcC5BsmNuExPylavJTb5/7b0510293b61b405dfbea96a56a20ee8/Second-House-2.jpg?fm=webp)
Closely surrounded by other residences and without potential for visual connection outside the site, the house turns inward around a central courtyard.
Ground and Second Floor Plans
Each room is expressed through the massing, paired with a corresponding exterior space (two entry alcoves and a courtyard) carved from the buildable footprint. This alternation from inside to out and back is emphasized by an alternating arrangement of material surfaces, creating a series of dramatically different spaces that are integrated into a single environment.
![Second-House-4](https://images.ctfassets.net/fijvxsewilzf/5tdXe3ESKyPI54VpVa4zM6/8a8a15e6bf72311a1cbfa9f3d0f86fc6/Second-House-4.jpg?fm=webp)
![Second-House-5](https://images.ctfassets.net/fijvxsewilzf/QX5NzUpE92PwLW5y4gQcw/8419ac516e587b1d215e2e05e6381750/Second-House-5.jpg?fm=webp)
While the program is made explicit through different volumes, both interior and exterior are knitted together into a single, visually continuous living space. This balance between volumetric distinction and spatial continuity creates an environment in constant modulation; by natural and artificial light, opening of doors and windows, and configuration of furniture.
![Second-House-6](https://images.ctfassets.net/fijvxsewilzf/1tQm2ShJ9DGOATtgmXYyst/df11e1f5bced95e2d876b2e6a933e048/Second-House-6.jpg?fm=webp)
![Second-House-7](https://images.ctfassets.net/fijvxsewilzf/2bhJr6vuhn2y8SMY0R8MEb/6beb9589a6fa7542d237530c0b258a7d/Second-House-7.jpg?fm=webp)
![Second-House-8](https://images.ctfassets.net/fijvxsewilzf/56IQYBNhnnTVeUVY6tBUf1/d6dc5bb2aadcd0e883e08a5015cb6ff5/Second-House-8.jpg?fm=webp)
The exterior is finished as a monolithic mass with specifically patterned cement board panels. The orthogonal surfaces have a slightly darker tone than those at a diagonal, producing an ambiguous reading between a single rectangular block and three aligned wedges. In contrast to the differentiated-but-open ground floor, the master bedroom and guest room at the second level are isolated volumes, each contained in a separate wedge.
![Second-House-9](https://images.ctfassets.net/fijvxsewilzf/70GNksCo44V1YKuAdqBuOs/d1a6d54310ffe34a5a051147c37827ed/Second-House-9.png?fm=webp)
Mirrored Sections
![Second-House-10](https://images.ctfassets.net/fijvxsewilzf/6TSwyYRLj8RPXDWE2veT20/48ceb31661f3631c0c5098c348824a7e/Second-House-10.jpg?fm=webp)
![Second-House-11](https://images.ctfassets.net/fijvxsewilzf/1h6JJwqDgDY52LRnDHRSEz/4a3feb98a835557983e18d791c18c390/Second-House-11.jpg?fm=webp)
Project team: David Freeland, Brennan Buck, Johannes Beck, Nick Schwaller Photography by Eric Staudenmaier Furniture provided by Knoll Inc.