Gardenhouse / MAD Architects

Gardenhouse / MAD Architects - Exterior PhotographyGardenhouse / MAD Architects - Exterior Photography, FacadeGardenhouse / MAD Architects - Exterior PhotographyGardenhouse / MAD Architects - Exterior PhotographyGardenhouse / MAD Architects - More Images+ 24

  • Principals In Charge: Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, Yosuke Hayano
  • Associate Partners In Charge: Flora Lee, Dixon Lu
  • Design Team: Li Guangchong, Jon Kontuly, Joanna Tan, Chris Hung-Yu Chen, Wenshan Xie, Cesar D Pena Del Rey, Jeffrey Miner
  • Client: Palisades Capital Partners LLC
  • Executive Architect: Gruen Associates
  • Civil Engineering: Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc, Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc
  • City: Los Angeles
  • Country: United States
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Gardenhouse / MAD Architects - Exterior Photography
© Nic Lehoux

Text description provided by the architects. Located at 8600 Wilshire Boulevard in California’s Beverly Hills, “Gardenhouse” is a mixed-use scheme consisting of 18 residential units above ground-floor commercial space. Evoking the lush landscape of Beverly Hills, the scheme becomes a “hillside village” with residential units “growing” from the building’s living green wall. Peaking above the landscaped envelope, a cluster of white façaded, irregular-shaped windows and gabled-roof structures create a dynamic neighborhood, and a playful, witty, though simple homage to the iconic hillsides of Los Angeles. 

Gardenhouse / MAD Architects - Exterior Photography, Facade
© Nic Lehoux

Upon completion, the scheme will host one of the largest living green walls in the USA. This defining envelope is covered in lush plantings of native, drought-tolerant succulents and vines, whose familiarity with the local climate negates the need for extra irrigation and maintenance. The result is a unique texture forming an organic, natural, seasonal addition to the neighborhood streetscape. 

Gardenhouse / MAD Architects - Exterior Photography
© Darren Bradley

The 4,460 sqm (48,000 sqft) “hillside village” offers a variety of different housing typologies: two studios, eight condominiums, three townhouses, and five villas. This healthy mixture results in a high sense of community, and a feeling of individuality and exclusiveness even in this small-scale development. Unlike traditional apartment schemes, each unit has its own independent entry/exit circulation route, while almost every unit features a pitched-roof volume with dynamic interior expressions. 

Gardenhouse / MAD Architects - Image 29 of 29
Site plan
Gardenhouse / MAD Architects - Image 26 of 29
Section

Enclosed by this cluster of white, pitched-roofed “houses”, the 2nd-floor courtyard forms a central landscaped gathering space for the small community. With careful consideration given to the distance, orientation, and arrangement of balconies overlooking the courtyard, the result is a private, tranquil, convenient interaction between residents and the “secret garden” which they share.

Gardenhouse / MAD Architects - Exterior Photography
© Nic Lehoux

Residents of “Gardenhouse” are welcomed via a ground-floor entrance along Stanley Drive, off Wilshire Boulevard. The entrance adopts the atmosphere of a cave digging into the hillside; a dim, surreal environment where residents are led on a journey through a “fairyland” of light, shadow, and the sound of water.  Further ahead, the softness of the cave meets a bright conclusion, with natural light flooding through a connected water feature from the courtyard patio above. Standing beneath this threshold, visitors marvel at a framed view of the sun, sky, landscape, and water: a living painting removing people from the reality of the city. 

Gardenhouse / MAD Architects - Interior Photography, Stairs, Windows, Handrail
© Nic Lehoux
Gardenhouse / MAD Architects - Image 21 of 29
First floor plan
Gardenhouse / MAD Architects - Interior Photography, Windows
© Darren Bradley

Through “Gardenhouse,” MAD seeks to offer a rebuttal to the stereotypical cubic-box living environments of high-density cities across the world. An intrinsic connection with nature, with a tranquil, shared courtyard, and private outdoor space for each unit, create a calm oasis just meters away from the urban environment. The result is a physical manifestation of the idea that architecture can connect with both the built and natural environment, to offer a more full, harmonious living experience.

Gardenhouse / MAD Architects - Exterior Photography
© Darren Bradley

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Project location

Address:Los Angeles, CA, United States

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Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
About this office
Cite: "Gardenhouse / MAD Architects" 27 Aug 2020. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/946522/gardenhouse-mad-architects> ISSN 0719-8884

© Nic Lehoux

比弗利山丘庭院 / MAD建筑事务所

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