MAD founder Ma Yansun identifies himself as a representative of the organic direction in architecture, claiming that he is restoring the lost connection between the human habitat and nature - in different forms and scales. The small apartment complex in Beverly Hills is his ironic response to the overly neatness of this metropolitan area of Greater Los Angeles, as well as a reference to the look of this metropolitan area, where most of the houses are located on green hills.
The first, commercial floor of the residential complex looks traditional - glass showcases. And the second and third are already closed by a green wall with typical California plants that do not require special care and watering. Even higher are the white "houses" with a gable roof, as if growing out of the "hill" below them.
The residential complex is located on the famous Wilshire Boulevard, but the entrance for the apartment owners is arranged from a quieter side street, and for them the architects have thought out a whole scenario. From the bright sun, they enter a cave-like space with a cropped view of the courtyard above it - at the second floor level. Instead of the noise of the metropolis, they are greeted by the murmur of water in the pond and the rustle of leaves.
The balconies overlooking the courtyard almost do not fall into each other's field of view, so the feeling of a quiet refuge remains. This is facilitated by the fact that each of the dwellings - there are only 18 of them - has its own access route from the lobby to the front door.
The total area of the Gardenhouse is 4460 m2. Its "housing stock" consists of two studios, eight ordinary apartments, three townhouses and five "heavenly villas".
