First Office
First Office
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Standard ADU

First Office

All five very standard Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) plans, pre-approved by the City of LA Department of Building and Safety (LADBS)

Year: 2021

Location: LADBS, Los Angeles, CA

First Office Team: Anna Neimark, Andrew Atwood, Robert Sipchen

In collaboration with Matt Melnyk, S.E., Principal, Nous Engineering

First Office
First Office

A very standard ADU, interior renderings

The Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) developed for the City of LA is built using prefabricated Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs). The panels’ laminated structure, a sandwich of foam insulation and Oriented Strand Board, allows for expedited construction schedules and offers high environmental ratings, producing great value for home owners.

First Office
First Office

Plan A: two-bedroom standard plan, pre-approved by the Department of Building & Safety.

Plan A model isometric.

First Office

Two-bedroom LA ADU rendering.

There are five possible plans presented, all derived from Plan A, with the maximum allotted 1,200sf footprint occupying four quadrants. Plan B is an L-shaped plan that preserves three quadrants from the overall layout. Plans C and D span across two adjacent quadrants. And Plan E offers the most efficient studio, occupying just one quadrant. This permutation of one plan into five different footprints allows owners to find a design for their desired size.

First Office
First Office

Plan B: one-bedroom standard plan, pre-approved by the Department of Building & Safety.

Plan B model isometric.

First Office

One-bedroom LA ADU rendering.

Tucking the infrastructural and mechanical programs (such as closets, built-in shelves, kitchen counters and bathrooms) into the vertical SIP supports, the house follows an efficient and open plan. While the design of the ADU is minimalist in its form and expression, it maximizes the materials’ environmental performance, taking into account sustainability factors and flexibility of construction, as well as SoCal’s indoor/outdoor lifestyle. The house has a seamless relationship with its backyard and the main house through large windows and sliding doors and offers an opportunity for a roof deck above.

First Office
First Office

Plan C: studio standard plan, pre-approved by the Department of Building & Safety.

Plan C model isometric.

First Office

Studio LA ADU rendering.

In collaboration with Nous Engineering, the designs merge structure and comfort through an open plan, organized by utilitarian structural closets and built-ins. The interior finishes include painted SIPs and gypsum, concrete floors, stainless steel counters, and an occasional element of conduit. We kept things intentionally minimal and artfully detailed.

First Office
First Office

Plan D: another studio standard plan, pre-approved by the Department of Building & Safety.

Plan D model isometric.

First Office

Another standard studio LA ADU rendering.

First Office
First Office

Plan E: minimal standard plan, pre-approved by the Department of Building & Safety.

Plan E model isometric.

First Office

Minimal LA ADU rendering.

Several cladding options for LA ADUs.

Standard ADU

Year: 2021

Location: LADBS, Los Angeles, CA

First Office Team: Anna Neimark, Andrew Atwood, Robert Sipchen

In collaboration with Matt Melnyk, S.E., Principal, Nous Engineering

First Office

All five very standard Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) plans, pre-approved by the City of LA Department of Building and Safety (LADBS)

First Office
First Office

A very standard ADU, interior renderings

The Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) developed for the City of LA is built using prefabricated Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs). The panels’ laminated structure, a sandwich of foam insulation and Oriented Strand Board, allows for expedited construction schedules and offers high environmental ratings, producing great value for home owners.

First Office

Plan A: two-bedroom standard plan, pre-approved by the Department of Building & Safety.

First Office

Plan A model isometric.

First Office

Two-bedroom LA ADU rendering.

There are five possible plans presented, all derived from Plan A, with the maximum allotted 1,200sf footprint occupying four quadrants. Plan B is an L-shaped plan that preserves three quadrants from the overall layout. Plans C and D span across two adjacent quadrants. And Plan E offers the most efficient studio, occupying just one quadrant. This permutation of one plan into five different footprints allows owners to find a design for their desired size.

First Office

Plan B: one-bedroom standard plan, pre-approved by the Department of Building & Safety.

First Office

Plan B model isometric.

First Office

One-bedroom LA ADU rendering.

Tucking the infrastructural and mechanical programs (such as closets, built-in shelves, kitchen counters and bathrooms) into the vertical SIP supports, the house follows an efficient and open plan. While the design of the ADU is minimalist in its form and expression, it maximizes the materials’ environmental performance, taking into account sustainability factors and flexibility of construction, as well as SoCal’s indoor/outdoor lifestyle. The house has a seamless relationship with its backyard and the main house through large windows and sliding doors and offers an opportunity for a roof deck above.

First Office

Plan C: studio standard plan, pre-approved by the Department of Building & Safety.

First Office

Plan C model isometric.

First Office

Studio LA ADU rendering.

In collaboration with Nous Engineering, the designs merge structure and comfort through an open plan, organized by utilitarian structural closets and built-ins. The interior finishes include painted SIPs and gypsum, concrete floors, stainless steel counters, and an occasional element of conduit. We kept things intentionally minimal and artfully detailed.

First Office

Plan D: another studio standard plan, pre-approved by the Department of Building & Safety.

First Office

Plan D model isometric.

First Office

Another standard studio LA ADU rendering.

First Office

Plan E: minimal standard plan, pre-approved by the Department of Building & Safety.

First Office

Plan E model isometric.

First Office

Minimal LA ADU rendering.

Several cladding options for LA ADUs.

Site: Mr. Wren & Friends.  Logo and La Grotesque typeface by Francesca Bolognini

First Office was founded in 2011 by Anna Neimark and Andrew Atwood to create a dialog between architectural practice and academic discourse. Their collaborative work spans buildings, exhibitions, and publications, all rooted in the belief that architecture is a form of cultural production.

The practice has engaged with leading institutions, including the MAK Center for Art and Architecture, the Chicago and Venice Biennials, MoMA PS1’s Young Architects Program, and the Architectural League of New York. The projects and essays of First Office have been recognized with awards and compiled in Nine Essays (Treatise Press, 2015), as well as in Andrew’s publication Not Interesting: On the Limits of Criticism in Architecture (Applied Research and Design, 2017).

Anna Neimark
Design Faculty and Visual Studies Coordinator, SCI-Arc
anna.neimark@gmail.com

Andrew Atwood
Licensed Architect and Associate Professor, UC Berkeley
w.andrew.atwood@gmail.com

About

First Office was founded in 2011 by Anna Neimark and Andrew Atwood to create a dialog between architectural practice and academic discourse. Their collaborative work spans buildings, exhibitions, and publications, all rooted in the belief that architecture is a form of cultural production.

The practice has engaged with leading institutions, including the MAK Center for Art and Architecture, the Chicago and Venice Biennials, MoMA PS1’s Young Architects Program, and the Architectural League of New York. The projects and essays of First Office have been recognized with awards and compiled in Nine Essays (Treatise Press, 2015), as well as in Andrew’s publication Not Interesting: On the Limits of Criticism in Architecture (Applied Research and Design, 2017).

Anna Neimark
Design Faculty and Visual Studies Coordinator, SCI-Arc
anna.neimark@gmail.com

Andrew Atwood
Licensed Architect and Associate Professor, UC Berkeley
w.andrew.atwood@gmail.com

Site: Mr. Wren & Friends.  Logo and La Grotesque typeface by Francesca Bolognini