Van Der Leeuw Research House // VDL II

Architectural Photography

Situated within direct proximity of Silver Lake Reservoir, Richard Nuertra's self-designed Los Angele's home has strong relations with its local environment. The Van der Leeuw Research House II (VDL II) was completed in 1966, after an electrical fire suspiciously burned VDL I to the ground. Whilst designing both buildings, Nuetra focused on the inside-to-outside relationship, the merging of nature and landscape, and the house as a functional machine.

Nuetra believed in the importance of feeling connection to the outdoors while indoors. There are five outdoor spaces throughout the ground floor, three on the second floor, and one for the penthouse. Revolutionary for the time, the landscape integrated native and naturalized vegetation. The house is a machine which operates in response to the outdoor surroundings.

Designed for the future, while responding to existing conditions.