This project envisions a new-build contemporary residence located on Doheny Drive, designed by Gregory Phillips Architects. Set within the steep topography and panoramic setting of the Hollywood Hills, the scheme responds to its context through a highly articulated, glass-led architecture that maximises light, views, and spatial continuity.
The design proposes a three-level home using the topography of the site. A basement level accommodates a series of private bedrooms and ancillary spaces, arranged around sunken courtyards that draw natural light deep into the plan. This strategy reflects precedents in the area, where basement courtyards are used to introduce daylight and ventilation into lower levels despite challenging terrain. This also allows these areas to be kept cooler.
Above, the ground level acts as the primary arrival and transition space, mediating between the street, the bedrooms below and the more open upper living areas. Circulation is carefully choreographed to frame views progressively, creating drama as you progress through the house.
The defining feature of the proposal is the first-floor living level, conceived as a fully glazed pavilion. Here, a continuous open-plan living, dining, and kitchen space extends seamlessly onto a sun terrace with an integrated swimming pool. The pool is positioned at this elevated level to align with the principal living spaces, creating a dramatic indoor–outdoor interface and reinforcing the visual connection to the Los Angeles skyline. This approach echoes the local architectural language, where infinity-edge pools and expansive glazing are used to dissolve boundaries between interior and exterior environments.
Materially, the house is defined by a restrained palette of glass, concrete, and timber, emphasising transparency and horizontality. Floor-to-ceiling glazing defines the upper level, allowing uninterrupted views while flooding the interiors with natural light. Structural elements are minimized to maintain the purity of the architectural form and allow uninterrupted views.
Sustainability is embedded through passive design principles, including cross-ventilation, solar shading, and thermal massing, alongside high-performance glazing systems to mitigate solar gain while preserving openness.
Overall, the project delivers a refined, contemporary dwelling that balances privacy and openness with spaces nestled into the hillside and crowned by a luminous, elevated living volume with an integrated outdoor pool.
