MT. WILSON SCIENTIST RETREAT

Fall 2022

Third Year Design Studio, ARC 3011

Cal Poly Pomona Architecture (CPP/ARC)

Instructor: Yasushi Ishida

Sited on the peak of Mt. Wilson in the Los Angeles forest, this project aims to blur the boundaries between work and life.

The structure serves as a residential unit for two scientists as well as a research office and laboratory. Three wings of the structure are all connected to form a triangle-shaped plan. The connection between each wing allows the building to be a continuous loop, suggesting that the work program can be merged with the living program, rather than keeping the two entities separate. A change in floor elevation physically separates the two types of spaces (private and public) while still allowing access between each. The exterior wall of the structure is lined with glazing, encouraging a view out to the landscape and revealing the building’s truss system. It also begins to highlight the corridor that can be visualized in plan, stitching each wing of the project together. This corridor is unobstructed and acts as a connecting path to each program. To emphasize the idea of progression as one begins to move from private to public, the upper plan of the building begins to expand, finally framing a large view of the surrounding landscape at the research lab.

Structurally, the project is supported by three elements. A tower, connects the lower service road to the upper main road, a cantilever, and a bridge.