Ray Kappe Beach Front Home On the Market For $13.5 Million

FOR SALE: 1600 The Strand, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266

Built in 1985 by well-known architect Ray Kappe of Kappe +Du architects, the 5200 square foot, 3 bedroom 6 bathroom beach front home, known as the Scheimer Residence, on California's Manhattan Beach Strand has recently gone on the market for the first time since the house was constructed.

Sustainable & Spectacular Home In The Hills. The Sunset Plaza Residence.

The Sunset Plaza Residence by David Thompson and Kevin Southerland of Los Angeles-based architecture, development and sustainability design firm Assembledge+, is high up on my list of dream homes.




With lots of light, an open floor plan, large mitered windows, indoor/outdoor living area, covered attached garage, an infinity pool and 180˚ views of Los Angeles, it pretty much fills my check list for the perfect abode. The house was also one of the homes on last year's CA Boom Show LA architecture tour.




Located above the Sunset Strip in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, the design for this 5,000 sq ft house opens up to the surrounding landscape allowing the project to utilize all of the relatively flat site, unique to the hills. The simple forms and warm material palette evoke a clean modernist approach reminiscent of the early modernist homes in the area by Schindler, Neutra, and Carl Maston among others.




The exterior is clad in a combination of cinnamon-colored mangaris wood (a sustainably harvested Brazilian hardwood), smooth-troweled stucco and cement board painted brown.





To deliver as much natural light as possible, architects deployed skylights, interior glass panels and exterior glass walls, some translucent but not transparent, to preserve privacy. “The way the plan is laid out, as an L-shape rather than a block, gives the house even light throughout the interior rooms,” Southerland says.



Assembledge oriented the house on the flat promontory, ensuring sightlines from every room. “We wanted to extend what we see as the great Southern California modernist project where there is a real integration of indoors and outdoors,” Southerland says. Here we see the downstairs living room, which flows into a family room shown in the next photo.



Ceiling-to-floor movable glass walls open the expansive space to the outdoor terrace and its infinity saltwater pool. Cool-white terrazzo interior floors continue outside, unifying the spaces. “The idea was to make this continuous, uninterrupted plane that turns into water,” Thompson says. A subtle upward inflection of the roof plane farther extends south and west views.


above: A wide supporting column is wrapped in copper-hued mirrors at one corner of the family room. It captures flashes of artwork, furniture, foliage and water. “It brings in the reflections from the hills, the architecture, and even people walking by,” Southerland says. “That column is actually inside the room, so that when you close the glass doors, it reads as a transparent corner.”

More views of the copper clad supporting column:


A 1940s French Empire-style home with a mansard roof used to sit on the 13,000-square-foot site, according to architect Thompson.




His client’s desire for something more modern extended to the kitchen, lined with custom walnut cabinetry.




“I can turn any home style into quite a pad, but I really like modern,” owner Brad Blumenthal says. “Although it’s by far the most difficult type of house to design because the lines are so clean, you can’t hide anything.”


above: Back by the entry, stairs lead to the second floor. Contemporary homes are often criticized for lack of storage, but Assembledge took advantage of otherwise empty pockets of space.


above: A modern interpretation of a Japanese tansu cabinet is tucked underneath the staircase. “Rather than it being a wood cabinet, we wanted it to look as if it was part of the wall — clean and simple,” Thompson says. Note the powder room in the distance (also shown below).


above: the powder room off the main entry, with a glass wall alongside the driveway.



above: the master bath has a large glass enclosed double shower, limestone flooring and walls and a bathtub set within wenge wood.



above: The series of outdoor spaces were designed by Jonathan Goldstein of Jonny Appleseed Landscaping in Beverly Hills.

Built by Eric Engheben of 44 West Construction in Topanga, the architecture unfolds in a similar manner upstairs. An exterior wall of the master bedroom terrace has been cut away, creating a “window” toward the scenery.



It was important to the designers and their client to balance the use of glass and terrazzo with other materials that were visually warmer, thus the American walnut floor on the second floor.



And as seen at night:




floor plans:

Assembledge+
6363 wilshire blvd., #401
los angeles, ca 90048
phone 323.951.0045
fax 323.951.0046

Special thanks to photographer Michael Weschler, Debra Prinzing and the Los Angeles Times, David Thompson of Assembledge+ , 44 West Construction and pushpullbar for information, quotes and additional images.

The Fincube By Studio Aisslinger. Modular, Sustainable & Damn Cool Looking.

The Fincube by Berlin's Studio Aisslinger

This new housing is modular, sustainable and transportable. The low energy house, named ‘Fincube’, is comprised of thin horizontal “ledges” of locally grown wood that wrap the slightly bulging form.



At the moment, there are three models of Fincubes: the ready-to-move-into Fincube without interior furnishings, the standard model, and the premium model. The two latter models are based on the same room layout. Interior furnishings can be adjusted to your individual requirements.


The Fincube is installed on four columns whose height is adjusted to the topographic conditions. The elevation of the plot underlines the cubic form of the construction. Access is made available via a staircase.

With the use of natural materials such as wood, stone, and glass, and with low-energy construction techniques and minimum soil sealing, Fincube meets sustainable construction methods.

According to the intended use, connections for cold water, rainwater, waste water, and electricity are required. Due to the installation of a photovoltaic system on the roof, the Fincube becomes an independent unit.



This second facade layer provides privacy for the inhabitants and fuses the man-made structure with its natural surroundings.




The home provides 47 sqm of living space with a minimal CO2 footprint, and can also be easily dismantled and rebuilt on a different site.



The supporting structure is made of local larch and the interior is a combination of larch and stone-pine.



In the snow:



The Interior:


Organized in a helical structure, the entrance area blends into a generous open kitchen, with an adjacent living space and a bedroom around the corner.



Interior furnishings bear the trademark of the designer Werner Aisslinger – accentuated formal purity marks bedroom, living room, kitchen, and bathroom. Minimalism and the use of high quality materials form the framework of individual living.


Kitchen and Dining:



Living Space:



Bedroom:



Bathroom:


Fincube models

Ready-to-move-into Fincube without interior furnishings:
This model of Fincube will be handed over ready-to-move-into. According to intended use, the customer designs his own Fincube and furnishes it with the desired interior.

Fincube Standard:
The standard Fincube is a fully equipped living unit with kitchen, living room, bedroom, and bathroom. All furniture and fittings are made to order and meet the highest quality requirements. Everything is included – from high-quality installation devices to lighting, and even curtains are available.

Fincube Premium:
This Fincube model differs from the standard model by its unlimited quality, technique, and luxury. Special accessories and technical features make the Fincube Premium a high-end version.

Dimension outside: 8,5 m x 8,5 m (with facade)
Dimension outside: 7 m x 7 m (without facade)
Total space: 49 m²
Usable space: 47 m²
Room height: 3 m
Material of supporting structure: wood - larch
Material outside/slats: wood - larch
Material inside: wood - larch/stone pine
Glazing: triple glazing, U-value – 0.70 W/m²K
Soil sealing:
Project details:
Year: 2008 
- 2010
The Team: Studio Aisslinger

The Fincube team is made up of Werner, Joseph, Markus, Matthias, Elisa, Hannes and Philipp. They all working in different areas, and tare committed to the vision of a new concept of living.


•Werner Aisslinger (design)
•Josef Innerhofer (sales)
•Markus Lobis (production)
•Matthias Prast (production)
•Elisa Innerhofer (communication, marketing)
•Hannes Santer (legal consultancy service)
•Philipp Mitterer (business consultancy service, marketing)
•Tina Bunjaprasit (design)

Partners:
interior design: tina bunyaprasit, studio aisslinger

styling
: studio aisslinger
Berlin 
investor: 
josef innerhofer
Wood structure 
by markus lobis - Ritten/Italy
interior finish by 
matthias prast. Ritten/Italy.

photos courtesy of Florian Berger, Hannes Meraner, Werner Aisslinger 

Tel: +39 0471 359 012
Fax: +39 0471 359 335
Hauptstraße 69
I-39050 Unterinn / Ritten
info@fincube.eu