Noonan Residence
LOS ANGELES, California
Designed for a semi-retired man, the house is a matrix of interpenetrating volumes that can accommodate a diversity of living arrangements.
Sited on a north-facing slope with panoramic views, the building’s cubic exterior is eroded by a roof terrace. Carved into the top level, roof terrace clerestories allow southern light to penetrate deep into the living space below.
Steel clad beams that support the high roof soar over the terrace and land on pylons that skeletally complete the volume. A perpendicular set of beams and pylons suspend the lower carport roof and span over the entry bridge that meets the house between the second and third levels. A half flight of stairs up is an office/guest room that overlooks the living area and accesses the roof terrace. Half a level down is the main living spaces, master suite and space for a future elevator that would accommodate accessible living.
The lowest level houses an apartment that, with its own entry, functions as a caregiver’s suite, a rental unit or an additional workspace.