SAOTA’s Latest Residential Home In Los Angeles Inspired By The Stahl House

SAOTA’s latest residential home in Los Angeles inspired by the Stahl House

Bellgave, a private residence located in Los Angeles, is perched above Laurel Canyon Boulevard on a cul-de-sac in the Hollywood Hills. Its elevated setting at the edge of a steep promontory provides unobstructed panoramic vistas stretching from downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica. The north-south orientation aligns with the grid of the city basin below, and the architectural context is influenced by mid-century landmarks such as Pierre Koenig’s iconic Stahl House (Case Study House No. 22), which can be seen on a nearby promontory to the west.

Architects SAOTA from Cape Town engaged with the modernist legacy established by the Stahl House and other pioneering Los Angeles Case Study Houses in the design of Bellgave, revisiting and enhancing some of their groundbreaking innovations that shaped the unique indoor-outdoor lifestyle synonymous with the city, as well as a distinctive, climate-responsive regional modernism.

By elevating a platform on pillars and caissons, the architects raised the house towards the view and created a series of intersecting and overlapping horizontal planes that extend outward from the cliff edge. The horizontal focus of the terraces and overhanging eaves mirrors the city’s expansive horizons, embodying a sense of volume and compression that resonates with its unique character. In essence, the rear of the house can be perceived as a large viewing platform.

In homage to the Stahl House, the main lounge of Bellgave is situated in a cantilevered glass box at the front of the residence, projecting outward to embrace the view. A rim-flow pool along the edge of the deck appears to extend beneath it, enhancing the impression that the house is ‘floating’ while merging the foreground with the distant vistas of the Pacific Ocean.

The linear city grid below serves as an ‘ordering principle’ for the structure and layout of the house. Its geometry is simultaneously ‘in alignment’ with the urban activity beneath while elevated above the hustle and bustle.

This spatial organization also underpins the interconnected arrangement of spaces throughout the residence. Interior and exterior areas are seamlessly integrated. Landscaping elements, such as sculptural olive trees, serve as focal points, anchoring the experience with indoor and outdoor “destinations,” which include al-fresco dining spaces and poolside lounging areas, as well as the dining and lounge areas. Interior and exterior volumes are adjusted to create more intimate spaces that balance the expansive scale of the views. The bedrooms are located on the upper level, providing similarly elevated experiences above the city.

The entrance at the end of the cul-de-sac, in contrast, features high, arcing walls that create a sense of enclosure and ‘held space’ while serving as a striking sculptural marker at the street’s end. ‘Slices’ between the intersecting curves act as openings for the entrance, allowing light to filter into the stairwell while preserving privacy. The walls are intentionally unembellished to function as screens for the dramatic shadow patterns cast by the light filtering through the trees in front of them.

These curvilinear forms and the sense of embrace they create at the entrance transition into the rectilinear arrangement of the main living areas as one moves through the house towards the view, progressing from a grounded, enclosed experience to one that is airy and elevated.

The understated material finishes throughout the residence generally pay tribute to the architectural essence of mid-century Los Angeles. Stucco, travertine, and timber floors establish a neutral, honest, and unembellished palette that is richly textured, warm, and inviting. The extensive use of chiselled Jerusalem limestone serves as a specific reference to the nearby J. Paul Getty Museum, complementing the Mediterranean-inspired landscaping, which, like the architecture, is well-suited to the local climate and lifestyle.

As a modern evolution of certain traditions associated with California mid-century modernism, Bellgave simultaneously honors its architectural predecessors while looking ahead and expanding the possibilities of the pioneering examples of this approach.

BELLGAVE

PRESS PACK CREDITS

Project Name Bellgave

Project Location Los Angeles, USA

Lead Designers SAOTA

SAOTA Project Team Mark Bullivant, Tom Burbidge & Arthur Lehloenya

Architect of Record WOODS + DANGARAN

Development Manager PLUS Development

Contractor OHS Design and Development

Civil Engineer LFA (Labib Funk + Associates)

Structural Engineer LFA (Labib Funk + Associates)

Electrical Engineer Design Build