
Studies for a House
Los Angeles, California
2016, Complete
Los Angeles, California
2016, Complete
Short films made to study the spatial possibilities of mid 20th century ranch-style homes by the architect Cliff May.
We were fascinated by the existing ranch house, particularly the way in which it evoked mid-century houses designed by Cliff May. Whether he meant to do so intentionally, or whether he simply didn’t understand his own proposals in three dimensions, May’s houses are remarkable because of the way walls and interior elements appear to float free on the ground plane, with little to no relationship to the roof above. We wondered if it would be possible to radicalize this as a proposition. Instead of designing new buildings, what if we designed a collection of freestanding walls that were only incidentally covered by roofs in places? What if the interiors were just the by-product of these walls assembled in sufficient density to make something like a room? Given this extreme looseness, could we turn the entire site into a series of rooms between our smattering of walls that stand alone and unconnected like a field of things?
Team
Jonathan Rieke