Feng Shui Infused Mid-Century Home with Stealthy Architecture Choices
What is now an eye-catching Japan-meets-mid-century modern home was once a mish-mash of several rounds of additions on top of a modest 80-year-old house. The remodel barely resembles the original structure, which now features striking architectural details informed by feng shui elements and playful use of natural light.
The longtime homeowner sought out architect Marcos Santa Ana of Alloi in Los Angeles for a mid-century modern remodel that would meet her requirements of an expanded space better suited for relaxation and enjoyment.
Santa Ana is a seasoned in mid-century architecture and his architect-led design-build firm knew exactly how to manage the challenges of the project, one being the use of large expanses of glass and thin walls and roofs in an earthquake-prone city of Los Angeles.
Using Architecture Magic for Structural Integrity
With most of the additions placed on the front of the original home over the years, the project began with removing the facade and then constructing a new addition to create a cathedral living room with a high vaulted ceiling—perfect for a nearly entirely glass front.
Despite the home displaying as mid-century modern, it needed to meet today’s codes. The design-build team used a few tricks to ensure structural integrity for Los Angeles.
“Back when they were building most of those [mid-century modern] homes, they didn't have the structural codes that we have today,” says Santa Ana. “In transforming the house to have the essence of a mid-century modern home, but yet still meet energy codes and still meet structural codes, that's really the trick where the trick comes in.”
The trick came in when the team hid steel members inside the vertical wood posts, a hint of “sneaky architecture magic,” jokes Santa Ana. Los Angeles code requires roofs to have insulation values of R-38, so these thin roofs have high-performing closed-cell spray foam insulation to meet such requirements.
Managing Interior Comfort with Glass
The western lot orientation threw another challenge at the use of glass in the facade. South-facing facades create more comfortable interiors, says Santa Ana, and the project’s western orientation made it trickier to manage heat gain and comfort.
As a solution, the team specified high-performance glass, Solarban 60, to keep heat out. Solarban 60 glass blocks 60% of solar energy and allows 70% of visible light to come through. A tree in the front yard was maintained to help in the effort of blocking solar heat gain as well.
The question of privacy naturally comes to mind when imagining living in the home, but the homeowner didn’t mind less privacy if they achieved their desired look, so they chose not to install a shade on the lower windows recommended by the architect.
Infusing Feng Shui Techniques and Japanese Influence
Santa Ana developed the home’s entrance that forces residents and visitors to pause, rest, and appreciate. It’s the meandering pathway technique from feng shui, which says straight lines are not conducive to positive energy. Feng shui is an ancient Chinese practice of creating harmony between the environment and a person’s chi, or vital life force, for the purpose of ensuring the proper circulation of chi.
The non-straight route from the sidewalk to the front door now mimics a naturally bendy river, which forces those entering to stop and appreciate the home, capturing their chi before they enter. This path then leads to the home’s Engawa-inspired front or Japanese floating porch.
“The divider between the engawa and the landscape is a short wall that's about 30 inches high, which we wrapped in stone,” says Santa Ana. “And so that creates a place where the chi can rest and be captured before it flows to the outside of the house. The feng shui elements are pause points for the chi to rest.”
The thoughtful flow is continued indoors, and other basic feng shui elements experienced in the home are consistent connections to nature. Windows throughout the hallway provide views outdoors, and additional windows were added.
The team located the bathroom on a southeast corner and included a window above so that sunlight could stream into the shower in the morning.
It’s typical for mid-90s homes to have no designated foyer. Santa Ana included a genkan, a traditional Japanese entryway, into the home as another area for rest and experience.
Hidden Solar Panels
Santa Ana weighed solar panel options and neither hit the mark. On one hand, integrated solar shingles would be too pricey.
On the other, standard panels mount on the roof and take away from the look. Instead, Santa Ana inset the solar panels on the south facade of the gable so they would be flush and non-obtrusive to the overall design. When it comes time to replace the panels, they should be easily removable.
Despite the exterior of the home showcasing mid-century modern, it’s truly a modern-day new build, thanks to the expertise of Alloi, which helped the home to achieve high performance, structural stability, and a harmonious design.