In today's high-density cities, modernist and postmodernist residential models often prioritize the game of function and form over the relationship between people and the environment. This house in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, challenges this traditional relationship in another way: creating a living environment that integrates nature and community in a high-density city.

The "Hill Courtyard" is like a "village on the hill" in the city, with interesting architectural forms that contrast with the Los Angeles city skyline and rolling mountains in the distance.

In the perennially dry Southern California, the "Hill Courtyard" connects with nature in different ways. The central courtyard inside the building will be covered with local vegetation and green trees; the building will also have the largest plant exterior wall in the United States, covered with water-saving plant walls of local drought-tolerant cacti and vines.

MAD attempts to break the conventional framework of residential buildings and provide conditions for diverse community relations. The project will provide urban residents with a total of 18 units of various housing types: 3 townhouses, 5 independent villas in the sky, 2 studio apartments and 8 high-end apartments. Each household has an independent balcony facing the central courtyard, which cultivates community and neighborhood relations while maintaining their own privacy.

Ma Yansong said: "We hope to bring nature into the traditionally 'compact' apartment buildings by breaking the limitations of scale and volume. Instead of placing nature around the building, we want the residents here to enjoy the convenience of big city life while also feeling the beauty of being in nature."

"Hill Courtyard" is expected to be completed by the end of 2018.

"Hill Courtyard"
Los Angeles, USA
2013-2018

Type: Residential, Commercial
Site Area: 25,700 sq. ft.
Building Area: 47,496 sq. ft.
Building Height: 61 ft.

Team
Lead Architect: Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, Yosuke Hayano
Associate Partner: Lu Junliang, Flora Lee
Design Team: Li Guangchong, Cesar D Pena del Rey, Jeffrey Miner, Joanna Tan, Chris Hung-Yu Chen, Xie Wenshan

Owner: Palisades Capital Partners LLC
Co-Architect: Gruen Associates
Landscape Architect: Gruen Associates
Interior Designer: Rottet Studio
Structural Engineer: John Labib & Associates
MEP Engineer: Breen Engineering Inc.
Civil Engineer: Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.