Infill Dwelling Unit (IDU)
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2023
Venice, CA
Multi-Unit Residential
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Completed
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Todd Lynch, Mohamed Sharif, Ben Gourley, Morgane Copp, Chieh-Ting Chuang , Arthur Dos Santos. Nicholas Miller, Xiuwen Qi, Sunay Rajbandhari
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Project Description
IDU is a narrow building that slides into a highly constrained space. In this case, it is also the last available one on a multi-building residential site, a mere inch away from the adjacent 1920s bungalow, just under five feet away from a 1990s duplex, and four feet away from the property line and apartment building to the south.
A 2-story/1,169 SF/13'-0" wide x 57'-0" long building, it carefully tiptoes in its zone to preserve a courtyard swimming pool and two alley-facing parking spaces. At ground level, the compact footprint comprises a bedroom, en-suite bathroom, and a study. In a sense, it is a micro-unit in and of itself. Linearly arranged on the first floor are the living room, galley kitchen, and bathroom with en-suite bathroom so that the living room overlooks the immediate courtyard and the mountains to the north. Above is a stepped roof deck from where inhabitants enjoy near and distant views and the ocean breeze.
Clad in vertical corrugated metal and obeying stringent fire separation requirements, the relatively expressionless building is at once austere and luxurious. Aluminum frame windows and skylights are strategically situated to maximize light and cross-ventilation and signal a sense of spacious continuity from one narrow zone to the next.
