Location: Altadena, CA
Type: Single Family
Design Team: Katy Barkan, Hannah Hortick, Laura Grombone
Date: 2025

This house is the first in a pair of adjacent properties in Altadena that were lost/impacted by the Eaton Fire. Phase 1 (represented here) is a gut renovation of a secondary residence, and phase 2 will be ground up design and construction for the primary residence. 

Working with a dilapidated structure the design aims to cohere the existing ad-hoc aggregation of 3 shed roof structures in a new whole. The resulting rhythm inscribes two axes: a long portico running along the length of the facade, and a central passageway cutting through the house from front to back. At the intersection, the entrance vestibule produces 4 near-identical elevations: a pair of front doors, a pair of closets, a pair of interior doors to above and below, and a pair of openings into the house. This centralizing moment serves as a nexus for the material and organizational logics of the house—a kind of vernacular hall of mirrors for an otherwise straightforward house.

The existing facade is refurbished and amplified through the addition of layers of rough and raked stucco, as well as brick planters and benches. The material palate of the exterior is brought inward through a brick «runner» that bifurcates the house inscribing the dining area and the division between living and kitchen. 

The project is the first in a series of interventions across 2 sites that will eventually comprise a compound with 2 residences, an art studio, a stand-alone office, swimming pool, hot tub. The landscape plan is underway by Terremoto.