Sun and Water
Solar: The modules are stacked so that the west-facing facade creates more shade and the east facade allows for more light to permeate the building.
Water: The modules are sloped so that water used from one unit will filter through the adjacent garden and by gravity make its way to the cistern below ground.
Sectional Living
A section through the building demonstrates the dynamic, layered nature of "stacked" housing.
Unit Types and Distribution
Typical Floor Plans for High Density Prototype
How it Stacks Up
Variety is everything. While density is desired, if there were 20 "stacked" buildings in a block, it would be a little monotonous if they were all the same. This shows that "stacked" comes in different shapes and sizes.
A Layered Effect
STACKED: A NEW HOUSING PROTOTYPE FOR L.A.
Back in 2010, we responded to L.A. Forum's challenge to re-envision Los Angeles's Dingbat housing typology of the twentieth century. A dominant building type in Los Angeles's urban fabric, the Dingbat is generally characterized by its teetering box-like form placed above street level parking.
With our design, we wanted to address density, the "urban" face of the building, in addition to water harvesting and conservation. At the same time, we felt it necessary to preserve the Los Angeles dream of a private home and garden. The "stacked" prototype begins with one module whose sloped and planted roof is used as both a garden and vegetative "filter" for gray water used in the adjacent unit. The water is then directed down to an underground storage tank below the core of the building. The module can be stacked so that each unit has an adjacent garden which preserves some sense of privacy while opening it up to views of the street and thus responding to the monolithic nature of the Dingbat. Parking is towards the rear of the building, which allows the front of the building to engage with the adjacent street life.