Tag: case-study-houses | ArchDaily

Case Study Houses and the Myth of a Universal Domestic Ideal

Eduardo Souza — Sat, 23 May 2026 07:30:00 +0000

Sitting on low benches, casually talking, dressed in comfortable clothes, and surrounded by books, design objects, and works of art, Charles and Ray Eames appear in one of the most emblematic images of postwar modern domesticity in the United States. The house does not appear as an explicit architectural manifesto, but rather as an inhabited, appropriated, everyday space. Still, nearly everything in that scene functions as the condensation of a carefully constructed ideal: modern informality, the integration between architecture and daily life with the coexistence of industrial production. The photograph projects a way of living more than it represents a residence. And perhaps that was, from the very beginning, the central ambition behind the Case Study Houses.

Overprovision: Exploring Purposefully Wasteful Spaces in Residential Design

Jonathan Yeung — Mon, 01 Sep 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Overprovision can be seen as an architecture strategy through the lens of resilience—making spaces adaptable to changes, reinterpretations, and future needs. However, could overprovision also offer a productive lens for rethinking spatial design? Are there parallels in architectural theory or practice that align with this concept, as explored by notable figures in the discourse on space?

Eames House Reopens With Expanded Public Access Following Restoration

Reyyan Dogan — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 06:30:00 +0000

Following an extensive conservation process, the Eames House, Case Study House No. 8, has reopened to visitors after a five-month closure due to smoke damage from the Palisades Wildfire earlier this year. Although the iconic structure, designed by Charles and Ray Eames in 1949 as part of the Case Study House Program, was not directly damaged by flames, it required comprehensive cleaning and restoration to address the effects of smoke infiltration. As part of the reopening, the adjacent Eames Studio, previously closed to the public, will now be accessible for the first time. Designed and used by Charles and Ray as a working space, the studio will serve as a venue for rotating exhibitions, workshops, and public programs, offering an expanded architectural experience.

Designing Without a Client: 6 Houses Created by Celebrated Architects for Themselves

Maria-Cristina Florian — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 07:30:00 +0000

Examining the houses that architects designed for themselves can provide insight into their design process, priorities, and philosophy. While often reduced in scale, these personal residences offer a peek into the architects' mindsets and the way in which they translate their ideas into lived spaces without having client-imposed restrictions on the end result. The structures also reflect their creators' personal values, lifestyles, and aesthetic preferences.

Los Angeles Wildfires Threatens Architectural Landmarks Including the Hollywood Bowl and the Eames House

Maria-Cristina Florian — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 06:30:00 +0000

On Tuesday morning, wildfires erupted in the Pacific Palisades, one of Los Angeles' wealthiest neighborhoods. The catastrophic fire left a significant mark on the infrastructure and neighborhoods of Los Angeles, resembling a war-torn landscape by the morning of January 8, 2025. Iconic locations along Sunset Boulevard transformed into scenes of devastation, with charred buildings. Over 2,000 structures have been destroyed, displacing tens of thousands of residents and sparking urgent appeals for access to homes for medication retrieval. Several hotels in Los Angeles have been taking in displaced residents.

Foster + Partners Reimagines William Pereora's Television City in California, United States

Nour Fakharany — Tue, 09 Apr 2024 05:30:00 +0000

Foster + Partners, led by Normal Foster, has just been selected to reimagine the Television City studio complex in Los Angeles, following a global competition. The project involves the restoration of William Pereira’s iconic 1952 buildings and the transformation of the 25-acre site into a low-rise multi-modal campus and draws inspiration from the Los Angeles’ renowned Case Study Houses. The campus will feature new sound stages, production offices, creative workspace, and retail surrounding its perimeter.

Defining Afro-Contemporary Homes: The Role of Case Study Houses

Paul Yakubu — Fri, 29 Dec 2023 07:30:00 +0000

The home is a fundamental expression of architectural movements within the fabric of a city. As one of the smallest typologies, it is the simplest canvas to exhibit the design ethos of any particular era. African cities have continuously negotiated the meaning of their residential dwellings, from traditional architecture to colonial architecture, and the influx of post-colonial modern architecture. Vernacular architecture explored homes with spatial patterns rooted in cultural dexterity, envelopes built with indigenous materials and forms, endowed with traditional motifs. These were in stark contrast to colonial homes that featured a range of imported architectural styles across the continent, neglecting their climatic and cultural contexts while amplifying social class.

How Did Materials Shape the Case Study Houses?

Lilly Cao — Thu, 20 May 2021 04:00:00 +0000

The Case Study Houses (1945-1966), sponsored by the Arts & Architecture Magazine and immortalized by Julius Shulman’s iconic black-and-white photographs, may be some of the most famous examples of modern American architecture in history. Designed to address the postwar housing crisis with quick construction and inexpensive materials, while simultaneously embracing the tenets of modernist design and advanced contemporary technology, the Case Study Houses were molded by their central focus on materials and structural design. While each of the homes were designed by different architects for a range of clients, these shared aims unified the many case study homes around several core aesthetic and structural strategies: open plans, simple volumes, panoramic windows, steel frames, and more. Although some of the Case Study Houses’ materials and strategies would become outdated in the following decades, these unique products and features would come to define a historic era of architectural design in the United States.

Modern, Low-Budget and Easy to Build Living Spaces: the Case Study House Program

Fabian Dejtiar — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 07:30:00 +0000

Between 1945 and 1966, the Case Study Houses program, following the Weißenhof-siedlung exposition, commissioned a study of economic, easy-to-build houses. The study included the creation of 36 prototypes that were to be built leading up to post-war residential development. The initiative by John Entenza, editor of Arts & Architecture magazine, brought a team to Los Angeles that featured some of the biggest names in architecture at the time, including Richard Neutra, Charles & Ray Eames, Pierre Koenig, and Eero Saarinen, among others.

When Minimalism Gets Extravagant: A Virtual Look at the Case Study House 17(2)

Robynn Weldon & Pascal Babey — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 09:30:00 +0000

Arts & Architecture’s Case Study House program was supposed to be about creating replicable, affordable designs for post-war living—stylish but modest homes for young families on a budget. And then came house #17(2).

A Virtual Look Into J R Davidson's Case Study House #11

Robynn Weldon — Mon, 30 Apr 2018 09:30:00 +0000

The editorial notes on Arts & Architecture’s 11th Case Study House set out the “basic principles of modern architecture”: an emphasis on “order, fitness and simplicity.” Livability and practicality are key, and “sham” is frowned on. As with other houses in the series, this design by JR Davidson adheres to these goals with clean, horizontal lines, an open floor plan, and integration of the outdoor space.

A Virtual Look Inside Case Study House #10 by Kemper Nomland & Kemper Nomland Jr

Robynn Weldon — Tue, 06 Feb 2018 09:30:00 +0000

The tenth Case Study House wasn’t actually intended for the Arts & Architecture programme. It was added on its completion in 1947, to fill out the roster, as many houses remained unbuilt. Clearly, the Nomland design earned its place on the list, having many features in common with other Case Study homes and, most importantly, meeting the stated aims of economy, simplicity, new materials and techniques, and indoor/outdoor integration. The different departure point, however, can be seen in the layout. Whereas Case Study homes were designed primarily for families, this plan is for “a family of adults”—which is to say, a childless couple.

The World's First Freeform 3D-Printed House Enters Development Phase

Collin Abdallah — Wed, 31 Jan 2018 07:00:00 +0000

WATG Urban's first prize design for The Freeform Home Design Challenge in 2016 is now moving one step closer to becoming a reality. Since winning the competition, WATG's Chicago office has been developing the winning design, dubbed Curve Appeal, alongside Branch Technology. Curve Appeal is now undergoing the "wall section testing, research and development phase" with an anticipated goal of breaking ground later this year. This revolutionary project could change the way we construct complex, freeform structures.

A Virtual Look Inside Case Study House #7 by Thornton M Abell

Robynn Weldon — Fri, 24 Nov 2017 09:30:00 +0000

The seventh house in the Arts & Architecture Case Study program was built with real clients in mind: a family of three with creative hobbies. The result, designed by Thornton M Abell, is a flexible home with a distinctive functional character.

A Virtual Look Inside Case Study House #4, Ralph Rapson’s "Greenbelt House"

Robynn Weldon — Thu, 28 Sep 2017 09:30:00 +0000

The fourth house in Arts & Architecture’s Case Study program departed from the trend with a noticeably more introverted design. Intended for a modestly sized urban lot, rather than the dramatic and expansive canyon or forest locations of so many other Case Study homes, it couldn’t borrow drama from the landscape, nor would the residents welcome curious glances from their close neighbors—so the house looks entirely inward.

A Virtual Look Inside the Case Study House #23A by Killingsworth, Brady & Smith

Robynn Weldon — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 09:30:00 +0000

Only three of the Arts & Architecture Case Study Houses were built outside Los Angeles, and those three formed a united concept. The Triad Houses in La Jolla, a seaside suburb of San Diego, share a single driveway, motor court, and design vocabulary, while being created to meet different needs.

AD Classics: The Entenza House (Case Study #9) / Charles & Ray Eames, Eero Saarinen & Associates

Luke Fiederer — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 04:00:00 +0000

Nestled in the verdant seaside hills of the Pacific Palisades in southern California, the Entenza House is the ninth of the famous Case Study Houses built between 1945 and 1962. With a vast, open-plan living room that connects to the backyard through floor-to-ceiling glass sliding doors, the house brings its natural surroundings into a metal Modernist box, allowing the two to coexist as one harmonious space.

A Virtual Look Inside the Case Study House #3 by William W Wurster & Theodore Bernardi

Robynn Weldon — Wed, 19 Jul 2017 09:30:00 +0000

The third Arts & Architecture Case Study House has a noticeably different sensibility to that of many of the other designs in the series. While equally engaged with the goal of maximizing enjoyment of the natural surroundings, in this design the architects show more concern for privacy and protection.