BLOGGERS
Today a breadth of projects distinguishes the firm, from intimately scaled residences to large public and community-based projects. Recent projects include the LEED Gold-certified Glendale Childcare Center, twenty affordable housing units for the Mountain View Mobile Home Park in Santa Monica, California, and boutiques for James Perse, Maxfield, Costume National, and Vince. New residential projects include homes in Malibu, Pacific Palisades, Beverly Hills, and Mexico City.
Consistent throughout the firm’s work is an emphasis on the relationship between indoor and outdoor space. Elements and materials are exposed and glass walls extend rooms into the landscape. Often incorporating outdoor living areas, the firm’s designs embrace California’s natural surroundings, are contextually relevant, and fill spaces with light.
Returning to the tradition of “master builder”, the firm executes a detailed design process complemented by an equally rigorous attention to construction. As both architect and builder, Marmol Radziner is able to execute projects that become singular expressions of a perfectionist vision.
The firm’s dedication to the tradition of design/build can also be seen in their work restoring Modern architectural icons in Southern California. In 1998, the firm completed restoration of the Kaufmann House in Palm Springs, originally designed in 1946 by Richard Neutra. The firm has since completed restorations of ten Neutra homes. In addition, the firm restored the Elliot House, originally designed by R.M. Schindler, the Experimental Ranch designed by Cliff May, and the Garcia House designed by John Lautner.
The firm’s commitment to design excellence and to preserving architectural history has translated into an award-winning approach to its projects. Most recently, the firm was named the American Institute of Architects (AIA) California Council’s 2004 Firm of the Year. In 2007, both partners were named to the prestigious College of the Fellows of the AIA, and in 2009, they were named to Interior Design Magazine’s Hall of Fame.
Blog Entries by Ron Radziner and Leo Marmol
Integrated Versus Fragmented
Having just finished Walter Isaacson's biography Steve Jobs, I would like to comment on, "... the great debate of the digital age: closed versus open, or as Jobs framed it, integrated versus fragmented. Was it better, as Apple believed... to tie the hardware and software and content handling into one...
On the Fence
By Ron Radziner
"Something there is that doesn't love a wall, that wants it down... " -- Robert Frost, Mending Wall
When designing a home, I generally believe the fewer walls the better so I encourage people to take risks in favor of more openness. When designing a landscape, I believe...
The Rise of Green, Brown and Black
By Ron Radziner
I once met a man in a book club named Brown Green and, filled with envy, I thought, "What is in a name... or color?" If my name were the color of trunk and canopy, might I feel a stronger connection to all things living? Although my...
Life in the Fast Lane
By Ron Radziner
Give me a billion dollars to expand L.A.'s 405 freeway and I would add light rail, not more carpool lanes. As an architect, I spend my days zooming from home to home on the windblown highways of Rayner Banham's Autopia.
If there...
