Project Data:

Completion Date:     2/12/2021

Square Footage:      4800

Building Use:           Residential and Community Center

Project Description:

This project re-imagines the Von Sternberg House, a mini-mansion originally designed by Richard Neutra, as multi-family housing and a community center. Once located in a field, this new iteration would now sit in the middle of an upscale neighborhood called Buckingham Estates. This conceptual design shifts emphasis from complete seclusion to a welcoming environment for the community.
With the existing house occupying but a fraction of the site, there was a unique opportunity to locate on-site amenities that would the residents and surrounding neighborhood. The amenities on the site include a community garden, a flexible assembly/retail area, outdoor exercise spaces, an outdoor basketball court, a playground, bike lanes, and green spaces.
California native landscape actively supports wildlife by creating a pollinator habitat. The drought tolerant planting doesn’t rely on a heavy irrigation system, which is why rain barrels are provided at the major canopies for additional water collection. The existing ground pools serve as an iconic element to Richard Neutra’s original design whilst providing evaporative cooling, so plants such as Mosquito fern, as the name suggests, deters pests from the standing water.
The renovated Von Stenberg House provides two 2-bedroom units with 2 bathrooms each, perfect for young, small families. The 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom unit could accommodate a larger family, and the 1-bedroom unit was designed to be fully accessible. This unit was ideally designed for older residents or students from the neighboring university, CSUN. All the bedrooms in the units have dedicated storage and range in size between 115 SF and 209 SF to provide flexibility. The house also provides public space that can be used for a business space such as a coffee shop (managed by one of the residents, or leased to a third party), or as a rentable event. The main entrance to the public space provides a control point, so the residents and/or business owner have a way to manage the foot traffic of this area.
All the units have access to south and north windows providing natural light. The units were designed to avoid compartmentation of spaces, so efficient heating/cooling units such as ductless mini split systems can be used. Solar thermal collector systems will avoid gas heating entirely. This system include solar collector panels on the roof, a storage tank, and an electrical backup water. On-site solar panels provide completely electrical kitchens.
Construction and materials are usually a big part of the energy footprint that goes into a project. For this reason, the structural walls were left in place, except for some needed openings. Most existing plumbing walls were also retained and reused. The overall footprint of the house is unchanged.
This redesign shows that major sustainable interventions can happen with minimal disruptions to the original design. Unfortunately, the original Von Stenberg house was demolished in 1972 for fear of otherness, in the form of "hippies" arriving and squatting in the home. However, this project keeps the legacy alive and increases the site's cultural and environmental value whilst encouraging a sense of belonging.

Firm Name:              Arielle Mascarinas, Abigail Robles, and Daniela Martinez

Completion Date:     2/12/2021

Square Footage:      4800

Building Use:           Residential and Community Center

Location:                 Northridge, CA

Project Description:
Design for Equitable Communities
As sociologist David Madden and urban planner Peter Marcuse assert: “The built form of housing has always been seen as a tangible, visual reflection of the organization of society. It reveals the existing class structure and power relationships.” The original Von Sternberg House was designed to be completely secluded on a 13 acre property, but this redesign inspires a sense of community. The site is organized in dedicated zones that include space for farmer’s market, flexible retail, education spaces, and community gardens. A community land trust would maintain ownership of the house and the site to allow for people to reshape their relationship with the place they live, encouraging ‘marginalized, low-income people to recognize their interconnectedness.
Design for Ecosystems
Almost all of the planting material is native to California and are specifically native to the city of Northridge. By embracing the native plant species, the landscape actively supports native wildlife by creating a pollinator habitat. Creating a drought-tolerant environment removes reliance on a heavy irrigation.
Pink Muhly Grass and Deergrass frame the bike paths. Tall grasses such as Giant Wildrye provide privacy around the east side of the house and directly shade the southern windows. Ground cover such as California Bluebell and California Goldfields create colorful and inviting east and west entryways. Mosquito fern deters pests away from the standing water.
Design for Energy
All the units have access to south and north windows. These windows provide natural light, but one skylight solar tube also provides natural light in kitchen/living room areas of the ground units. A louver system that also functions as a privacy screen shields the east windows on units 1 and 2 from the low, early sun. The ground pool (i.e. the moat) and the roof pool were left in place as passive cooling devices.
The units were designed to avoid compartmentation of spaces, so efficient heating/cooling units such as ductless mini split systems can be used. The house also provides space for solar thermal collector systems that include solar collector panels on the roof, a storage tank, and an electrical backup water. This will allow to avoid gas for water heating in its entirety. Because the site allowed for solar panel installation, all the kitchens are completely electrical.
Construction and materials are usually a big part of the energy footprint that goes into a project. For this reason, the structural walls were left in place, except for some needed openings. Most existing plumbing walls were also retained and reused.

Design Architect:

Associate Architect or Firm:
Abigail Robles
Daniela Martinez

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