Double Stick

Initially introduced to client Moe Nozari through a connection from our work on the then-under construction Wallis Annenberg Performing Art Center, we were one of a handful of Los Angeles architecture firms who interviewed for the project. Later, after securing the commission following a series of meetings with Nozari, we were told that the deciding factor was our adamant insistence that the home would absolutely not be clad in stucco—or, to quote what became a recurring refrain: “No stucco box!”

Nozari, an Iranian immigrant and retired 3M chemical engineer and executive, and his wife Lois envisioned the home as a SoCal getaway and companion to their other residence in rural Minnesota, on a small island outside St. Paul (where 3M is headquartered). The Nozari’s had little in the way of specific requests regarding the home’s design, only that it preserve and emphasize the stunning southern view of downtown Los Angeles, and that it provide a sense of protection against the elements—the allergens native to the terrain and climate, rain and condensation, and most importantly the sun (sitting completely exposed at the top of a small hill, the mid-day glare can be especially unbearable).

The building site1 was a flat pad atop a small mound, previously occupied by a 6,000 square foot house originally built in 1968. We took an engineering approach to the organization of our structural model, basing the layout on a rudimentary yet strict 17-foot grid that we viewed as sacrosanct throughout the planning process. The interior programming is likewise laid out directly upon the structural gridlines; the entry sequence begins straight on axis, offering two direct routes into the space—right or left, private or public. A master suite comprised of two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a shared sitting room and walk-in wardrobe occupies the southwestern corner, and kitchen, public space and a guest bedroom spread out along the center and east wing. A skylight spans the home’s length, illuminating the galleries and secondary spaces and funneling an endless supply of natural light into the building’s interior corridors.

In developing the exterior our main priority was to create an organic, natural-feeling look that created a singular effect, as if the façade existed entirely of only one sole component instead of the countless incremental ingredients of the reality. This seamless aesthetic (another consistent theme in our work, again notably with Ziering) is difficult to achieve in any endeavor, but particularly so in architecture, where much depends upon an accurate and thorough technical evaluation of the interplay of materials, engineering and construction principles.

Reviewing the objectives and preferences presented by the client—a monolithic quality based in a practical protective spirit, smooth, simple and meditative material finishes, and a beach-inspired palette skewing towards the more autumnal greys and browns rather than the warmer oranges and blues of summer3— our choice of bronze anodized aluminum made perfect sense. Practically it functions as a comparatively light-weight rain screen, providing a simple and low-pressure defense against not only water but air and thermal elements, and in wrapping the entirety of the home in aluminum slats it would be easy to imbue the building envelope with the desired continuity. Our instinct was to overlap the slats with staggered joints, creating an impression similar to the textured layering of a brick wall but with as little delineation as possible. Key to the whole endeavor would be devising a method affixing the slats to the frame without the use of fasteners, in theory a simple maneuver that in practice proved to be our most compelling challenge.

Every construction is uniquely unpredictable, and Double Stick proved to be no exception, requiring a steep learning curve and substantially more trial and error due to the pioneering nature of the project.

The anodization4, which we had anticipated being straightforward instead involved an extensive search for an adequate contractor and the development of a special method of treating the aluminum to ensure our desired finish: the traditional technique of clamping the slats would leave unacceptable marks on the surface, and our solution—to fasten pegs to the back of each slat before anodizing—added an additional step to an already time-consuming process. The installation of the slats similarly called for a high degree of finesse, as each individual piece needed to be precisely placed, adjusted, and held before moving on to the next.

Aside from the natural day-to-day rigors of the job site, an administrative error by one of our contractors resulted in an extensive delay; the porcelain tile used throughout the interior was supplied by an Italian company who temporarily shut down their factory for upgrades before our order was placed, adding months to the build timeline.

Only three core materials are used throughout the residence: the anodized aluminum slats of the facade, and the porcelain tile and walnut of the interior. “I would have used one if I could,” says Zoltan Pali, SPF:a founder and Double Stick’s principle designer. “It is not a cacophony of material, like so many modern luxury developments. We really strived to elevate and emphasize the fundamentals of a home, of the relationship between the terrain and the structure. To me, Double Stick is not just about how it works as a building, but how it serves as a vessel for the two things this project is really about: 1. The light, and 2. The space.”