The V.D.L. Research House II: Distorting the Boundary Between the Interior and Exterior

Front View of the House

Original Floor Planing of the first House Along with Model

When thinking of a typical humble home you would imagine it to be a solid structure with small windows that doesn't allow much of the outside world to come in. Richard Neutra's, an architect that was work was popular in the sixties, idea of a simple home was one sliced into three layers that hovered above one another which allowed any pedestrian to see what went on inside the house. A home lacking boundaries may not be everyone's cup of tea but that is what made the VDL Research House special: inside and outside became one.

A little bit of history of this home and its architect:

Richard Neutra’s architectural career had immediately taken flight after the Lowell Health House project; Dutch business man Cornelius Van der Leeuw immediately approach Neutra and wanted become one of his patron. Seeing that Mr. Neutra and his family were living in rented studio in Echo Park Van der Leeuw offered him a gracious loan for Neutra to design a spacious home for himself however Neutra lowered the sum down to a humble $3,000 and relied the rest on commercializing. Neutra selected a plot of land near Silver Lake in California that’s sixty by seventy feet and despite far exceeding the budge (like any architectural project) the house was first completed in 1932. The project was named V.D.L. House after his patron and housed Neutra’s family until 1963.

Thirty-two years after construction the V.D.L. House caught on fire while the Neutra was away in the midwest. The main building where he and his wife lived in was completely destroyed while the separate garden house and a few trees were left intact. Neutra’s son, Dion, managed to collect all of his important documents and plans which were the only valuable belongs that escaped the flames. Falling into depression when he saw the wreckage he claimed that the house was utterly lost and cannot be rebuilt; however, Dion manage to obtain a special permit which would allow for their home to be rebuilt to it former condition with him overseeing the project. By 1966 V.D.L was restored, with some modification, and then dubbed as V.D.L. House II. Thirty years later the keys were handed to Cal Poly Pomona College and its doors were open for all to see its modernistic design.

Upstairs Living Room

The Neutra home was design to accommodate both business and private life. The first floor, were all of his draftsmen stayed and tossed ideas, was strictly for work purposes. What some may notice right away when venturing towards the entrance of the house is there are two doors: one glass and one wooden. All of his draftsmen and contractors would enter through the wooden door during the working hours while the glass set was strictly reserved for the family and their invited guests. Climbing up the delicate staircase you are then in the private quarters of Neutra and his family. The environment is much different than the floor under, it's more warm and invites you to stay in the living room and enjoy the view of the lake and mountains. Going a floor above will take you to the glass penthouse which overlooks the entire lake. Original the penthouse was an open roof garden however during the second construction Neutra decided to enclose it in case weather turned sour.

Upstairs Dining Room/ Hallway

The nature of house is to capture the scenic surrounding from the outside and incorporates it to the inside. Neutra’s home was specifically built in front of Silver Lake and when seated on his low balcony or the upstairs living room only the lake is in your view. This concept is also carried through to the upstairs dining room by Neutra’s wife request. His wife requested for there to be a patio dining area and therefore specifically designed to mimic an open space while still being a room.

Above the Private Courtyard and Garden House

This house is unlike any typical home here in Los Angeles. All homes for the most part completely shut themselves away from the world which is understandable if you're a very private person. The VDL House invites its surrounding into itself, carefully selecting only non-industrial aspects, and gives the home owners a sense of being outdoors. It is also a notable aspect that this home was built in a small plot of land yet still manages to not feel stuffy.




References:

• Deborah,Bishop (2007). No diving. (Vol.7, n.9, p.134.) San Francisco, CA: Dwell.
• Oshima, Ken Tadashi (1998). The modern house in the postwar period, part 8: Continuing survival through design: V.D.L. Research house I and II by Richard Neutra. ( n.8(335), pg. 152-163) Tokyo, Japan: A&U: Architecture & urbanism.
• Neutra VDL Research House Official Website