Willoughby 7917 / Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects

Architects: LOHA Architects
Location: West Hollywood, California, USA
Principal in Charge: Lorcan O’Herlihy
Project Team: Pierre De Angelis (PD), Sabrina Schmidt-Wetekam, Alex Morassut
Client: Whitecap Development, LLC
Project year: 2008
Constructed Area: 2,230 sqm
Program: 8 apartments
Photographs: Tate Lown

Willoughby 7917 led to a series of studies investigating how we could re-invigorate the loft typology and create new opportunities for living within the extremely tight economic and spatial parameters associated with speculative housing.

The site of the project is in an area zoned for medium density growth. Within this context, it becomes increasingly difficult to ensure that existing views, adjacencies and open spaces will be preserved into the future. In order to exert some measure of control and continued usability, exterior open spaces were brought inside the individual units. These open spaces, conceived of as outdoor rooms, funnel large amounts of day light to the interior and can be used as extensions of adjacent living spaces, private gardens or outdoor patios.

Additionally, rather than simply stacking the mezzanines over one end of a narrow double height space, each mezzanine was pushed into adjacent space within the neighboring unit, extending and lengthening its depth. By borrowing this space, the mezzanine consequently becomes a unique room which hangs off the demising walls. As a result, their position and different levels of privacy become multifaceted and can be used to house a variety of programs into which one can escape into; working, sleeping, recreation, entertainment.