Ambivalent House: Is this the home of the future?
Futuristic, otherworldly orb wins architecture competition to design a house to sit underneath the famed Hollywood sign
It looks like an alien spacecraft or a meteor crashed into the hills of Los Angeles, but this otherworldly blob is actually a design for the house of the future.
The "Ambivalent House" has been declared the winner of a competition to build a futuristic design on a site located beneath the iconic Hollywood sign.
For years, this plot of land on the famed Mulholland Drive has been barren. But several years ago, LA dentist Steve Alper snapped it up and, alongside architectural research organisation Arch Out Loud, set out to find a proposal for design project that would "forever leave its mark on the Los Angeles landscape".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
He wanted to "make [the site] a story as opposed to just another luxury home", writes Archinect.
The idea, says Arch Out Loud, was to ignite a dialogue using the competition to explore the potential of the site and the future of residential design in general.
More than 500 designers from around the world submitted designs that demonstrated "innovative technology and integrative environmental strategies", guided by a brief that "capitalised on the iconic prominence of the site".
A winning blob
Ambivalent House took first place, although it had stiff competition from runners-up the Hollywood Hill – a grass-topped building – and the Last House, which is described as a "futuristic doughnut" by the Daily Mail.
The winning creators at LA-based architect company Hirsuta describe their spheroid construction as the "offspring of more geometrically perfect round houses".
Wrapped in photovoltaic film, the structure – labelled by Domain as "more of a Hollywood film prop than a family home" – functions as a giant solar panel.
In addition to these green credentials, it floats low to the ground on a single column so that, over the course of a year, it rotates 360 degrees.
Hirsuta, whose previous projects include "Jonathan's room", a children's bedroom inspired by classic children's book Where the Wild Things Are, says the rotating feature would inevitably produce new profiles and elevations, ensuring the house "could not be viewed the same way twice".
What's next?
It may be a while before the building appears in tourists' photographs. Arch Out Loud says there are no plans to construct the house yet, nor is Alper committed to commissioning the winning design.
A "combination of ideas that were submitted to the competition" may be considered, said Arch Out Loud's Nick Graham.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
4 tips for hosting an ecofriendly Thanksgiving
The Week Recommends Coming together for the holidays typically produces a ton of waste, but with proper preparation, you can have an environmentally friendly gathering.
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Jussie Smollet conviction overturned on appeal
Speed Read The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction on charges of staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
What might happen if Trump eliminates the Department Of Education?
Today's Big Question The president-elect says the federal education agency is on the chopping block
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
8 bars to hunker down in during the fall season
The Week Recommends Where to drink now in Phoenix, New York City and many a point in between
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
When Mexico met the US: a restaurant guide
The Week Recommends A new generation of chefs is intertwining their Mexican heritage with a distinctly localized sense of American food
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
Stars close out Paris Olympics, toss to LA
Speed Read A Tom Cruise stunt and Billie Eilish concert ended the 2024 Paris Olympics
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
7 bars for drinking your way through the summer months
The Week Recommends Lots of frozen drinks, of course. But, most of all, easy-breezy, welcoming vibes.
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
Get into the groove at these delightful record stores
The Week Recommends Each one strikes its own chord
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
9 restaurants primed for spring dining
The Week Recommends Winter be gone. Appetites are ready for the warmer months.
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
How a graffiti-covered skyscraper became LA's newest landmark
Under the Radar Artists and daredevils have been drawn to the site
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
10 museum exhibitions to see this winter
The Week Recommends The Roman Empire, Ukrainian modernism and early Buddhist art are all covered
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published