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Hollywood Hillside Standard ADU is a project that takes as its point of departure the site and siting of a pair of mid-century post and beam homes set atop a Hollywood hillside. The original homes are a reflection of modernist ideals, striking a balance between an introverted façade facing the street and an all-glass backside open to sweeping views of the iconic Hollywood sign, Griffith Observatory, and Downtown Los Angeles. From the lower edge of the property looking up, the tectonic logic of these homes reveals itself: roof surface balances on beams that balance on sheer walls, which meet the foundation. The assembly of stacked surfaces seems to hang gracefully from the hillside.

In counterpoint, the new addition is positioned at the lower street level of the through-lot. It adopts the overall volumetric proportions of the originals; however, its contemporary structural language is informed by the demands of topography and site excavation, such that it appears unearthed from the ground. In this way it establishes their own relationship with the context, one which mirrors the original homes above: an austere, private façade managing street access, and an interior that negotiates the hill, enfolding the land-scape and connecting new to old.