The art studio for the Cohen residence is located a few miles north of downtown Los Angeles on a hillside property. The existing single story house is built on the flat portion of the property next to a lush hillside which makes up for almost half of the site. From the house and garden you are offered a stunning view of the adjacent neighborhood. The program requirement was to add on a separate structure on the edge of the hillside and adjacent to the pool, that takes advantage of these amazing views and will function as an art studio. However the proposed design needed to be flexible enough to easily convert into a pool/ guesthouse. It also includes a wine cellar, a Jacuzzi and a variety of deck areas.

The initial idea for the design was to create a tree house for adults and was inspired by Italo Calvinos Novel “The Baron in the trees”. The main design emphasis was a variety of trajectories that explored different movements and paths through the trees and the landscape, preserving the existing oak trees and minimizing modifications to the ground. The trajectories became the circulation path that in the areas of the studio and the cellar formed spatial enclosures, but mostly articulated as a trail through the thriving landscape.

The wood deck areas are supported by a curved steel structure which lifts up and cantilevers over the art studio. The Studio is enclosed with translucent fabric and foldable glass doors. The glass doors can be entirely opened up on three sides blurring the boundaries between inside and outside. Deck areas adjacent to the wine cellar, between the pool and the art studio and on the roof allow experiencing the site from different levels.