Following our last visit to New York-based WXY Architecture + Urban Design , this week we move our “Meet Your Next Employer” series to California to explore the work of Yu2e, Inc.
The architecture and engineering firm has built a portfolio built on private single-family residential projects alongside commercial, mixed-use, and multifamily plans. As previously reported, the firm’s work was recently recognized at the 2024 AIA|LA Residential Architecture Awards and the 2021 AIA|LA Design Awards for the “Axolotl” and “Almost Famous” homes, respectively.
Archinect Jobs is currently hiring a Design Associate to join our Culver City studio. If you’re interested in applying for the position or learning more about the firm’s work, here are four unique residential projects by Yu2e that exemplify the firm’s philosophy.
Gable Gable Gable. Image courtesy of Taiyo Watanabe
Gable Gable Gable, Los Angeles, California
A single-family home with views of the Santa Monica Mountains, Gable Gable Gable aims to “create a unified, elegant look by utilizing the gable as a unifying, organizing form.” The minimalist front exterior sees a series of “sub-gables” that define the porch and garage, while the rear exterior is organized around the negative space of a second-floor deck that is formed as a gabled space in its own right.
Gable Gable Gable. Image courtesy of Taiyo Watanabe
Gable Gable Gable. Image courtesy of Taiyo Watanabe
“Sustainability is also a key focus for this project, with the home being an all-electric structure powered by a solar panel system,” the team adds. “A heat pump provides hot water and air conditioning, and the cooking appliances are induction. Rainwater is collected, pumped and filtered through filtration planters. Not only does the project deliver a cohesive, modern and comfortable home, it also incorporates sustainable features that minimise the impact on the environment.”
Gable Gable Gable. Image courtesy of Taiyo Watanabe
Gable Gable Gable. Image courtesy of Taiyo Watanabe
Axolotl, Los Angeles, California
A multifamily residential project developed under Transit Oriented Community (TOC) standards, The Axolotl takes advantage of TOC’s relaxed regulations to provide seven residential units on a site that could otherwise accommodate only four. The upper levels feature large private open spaces, including balconies and rooftop decks, combined with floor-to-ceiling sliding doors to allow natural light and ventilation while enhancing outdoor convenience. The placement of the decks reduces the overall bulk and scale of the building.
Axolotl. Image courtesy of Taiyo Watanabe
Axolotl. Image courtesy of Taiyo Watanabe
“The units are efficiently located within the boundaries of a Type V building, three stories above ground with a single stair core, allowing for open layout units, multiple wall openings, and windows on all sides while keeping costs down,” the team explains. “Incorporating features of bungalow courts and dingbat apartments, the project is an evolutionary hybrid of mid-level housing in Los Angeles. Not only are the residential units cozy, livable, airy, and with ample access to the outdoors, but it also has the cost-effective benefit of multiple units working together to share space and resources and create a community.”
Axolotl. Image courtesy of Taiyo Watanabe
Axolotl. Image courtesy of Taiyo Watanabe
Blueplex, Culver City, California
Responding to the city’s housing crisis, Blueplex will place two residential units, one on each floor, creating what the company describes as “a viable and sustainable alternative (not a replacement) to the mainstream single-family housing types maintained and produced in the area.” Both units will have direct access to private outdoor spaces adjacent to their respective main living areas, with the lower unit featuring a front yard and the upper unit featuring a large cut-out terrace.
Bluplex. Image courtesy of Taiyo Watanabe
Bluplex. Image courtesy of Taiyo Watanabe.
“Large glass doors and windows allow ample space for indoor/outdoor movement, further enhancing the sense of transparency around the building,” the team adds. “Finally, the entire exterior is clad in fiber cement boards, oriented and painted to distinguish the units. The light blue of the upper units is intended to blend the second floor walls into the sky, a tongue-in-cheek defence of the oft-repeated criticism that two-storey residential buildings infringe on their neighbours’ free and clear access to the sky.”
Bluplex. Image courtesy of Taiyo Watanabe
Bluplex. Image courtesy of Taiyo Watanabe
Pomegranate, Culver City, California
Located near Culver City’s main transportation hub, Pomegranate is an expansion and renovation of an existing 1920s bungalow into a three-unit complex. Designed to “brand suburban densification,” the plan involves “lighter, more subtle insertion of additional housing” rather than demolishing existing structures or introducing a new dense typology to the area.
Pomegranate. Image courtesy of Taiyo Watanabe
Pomegranate. Image courtesy of Taiyo Watanabe
The existing bungalow was renovated as a typical three-bedroom home, and a second two-bedroom unit is in a new two-story building in the bright red color that the project is named after. Finally, the existing accessory building was converted into an ADU studio for the third unit. “Smaller buildings are cheaper to build, and the money saved is reinvested in upgraded exterior finishes such as siding instead of stucco, more landscaping, courtyards and larger windows and doors that face the trees,” the company said. “Our strategy is to have a low impact, but it’s important to highlight the arrival of moderate density that doesn’t ruin the neighborhood.”
Pomegranate. Image courtesy of Taiyo Watanabe
Pomegranate. Image courtesy of Taiyo Watanabe
“Meet Your Next Employer” is one in an ongoing weekly series showcasing available jobs on our industry-leading job board. Our Job Highlights series highlights interesting and topical employment opportunities currently available on Archinect Jobs, and our weekly roundup organizes job listings by location, career level and job description.