koenig case study house 21

Case Study House 21. Pierre Koenig

Within the Case Study House Program , the #21 represents an experiment that the architect Pierre Koenig conceived following -and sometimes inventing- the principles of the mid-century modern architecture like the on-site assembling of prefabricated elements.

The Case Study House #21 is located in a Hollywood Hills canyon and its structure is made of glass walls surmounted by a ribbed steel ceiling -instead of the traditional overhanging one- that protects from the Californian heat. For an optimized sun control, cooling-shades are used in the southern part of the house and over the opening in the central patio. This also provided a feeling of privacy.

The exposed roof gives a dramatic effect to the house profile; as the photographer Julius Schulman pictured in the famous pictures you can see in this post.

Like Richard Neutra did with The Josef von Sternberg House, Koenig also considered water as a fundamental element of the project. The water is hydraulically pumped to the roof from the pool surrounding the house to fall back again in the pool below, creating an incredible fountain-effect and contributing to the iconic look of the Case Study House #21.

The water has a decorative function because it reflects and amplifies the house profiles but it also helps in creating a peaceful atmosphere too. This was definitely a revolutionary concept back then.

The two bathrooms and the water heating system are located in the heart of the house , communicating with the patio.

Koenig used this area to divide the public spaces from the private ones while making the baths accessible from all the rooms. The solution allows the light to get in the living area and kitchen even when they are far from the big floor-to-ceiling windows.

The Case Study House #21 represents, within all the steel houses projects, the acme in architectural planning and developing; its plan and execution are heretofore considered experimental . The careful use of prefabricated steel elements made this project luxurious without being expensive.

The water and the steel structure constitute the theme of the house, enriched with the brick terraces that add another texture. Spanning the pool, the terraces provide direct access to the living area while, to provide a continuity of theme, a pool is located in the internal patio where the water falls on a mosaic tiled wall.

Koenig particularly cared to link the different areas of the house : public spaces, patio, bathrooms and bedrooms. It is possible to access to baths thorough either the bedrooms or the court, directly accessible from the bedrooms and the living room; also the bedrooms are communicating with each other by a passage near to the storage wall closed by a sliding door.

Photos by Case Study Houses.

The Case Study Houses Program: Richard Neutra’s Bailey House

The Case Study Houses Program: Craig Ellwood’s Case Study House 18

A Virtual Look Into Pierre Koenig’s Case Study House #21, The Bailey House

By David Tran and Pascal Babey, Archilogic

Pierre Koenig ‘s Case Study House 21 (Bailey House) represents an icon in the Case Study program, the visionary project for reimagining modern living developed by John Entenza for Arts & Architecture magazine . On being completed in 1959, Arts & Architecture applauded it as “some of the cleanest and most immaculate thinking in the development of the small contemporary house”, and it remains an influential single family house for architects worldwide. Now Archilogic has modelled this icon in 3D, so you can explore it yourself.

Koenig worked for several years on the steel house prototype. The challenge was to find a means of using steel that was both standardized enough to be economical, and at the same time of the quality and finish that would be desirable in a luxury family home. The Bailey House represents the culmination of this research. From the deceptively simple geometry to the perfect detailing of joints, the house was a kind of manifesto for modern living.

Entenza identified Koenig’s talent early on, and had been looking for an ideal client to pair the young architect with, when the Baileys came along. It was the perfect match. The couple was hip, wealthy and educated. Walter Bailey was a prominent psychologist, and together with Mary, his wife, wanted an up-to-date 1200 to 1300 square foot house for an empty site nestled in the Hollywood canyon. A childless couple, they welcomed the possibility of an open and fluid spatial design.

The ambience of the finished house is defined by water, which surrounds it more like a close fitting garment than a defensive moat. Koenig’s design introduces a new concept of water as both a structural and a landscape element, linking the house to the landscape rather than separating it. The water reflects and amplifies the clean lines of the structure while adding serenity and aesthetic beauty. As Entenza announced “The mirror-like quality of the water is subject to continual changes of mood and character”, as light played across its surface, superimposing reflections of both nature and architecture. It also—pragmatically in the hot LA summer—helps cool the house. Koenig was ahead of his time in considering natural ventilation as a primary concern for all his houses. No less innovative was Koenig’s placement of bathing facilities in an open courtyard in the center of the house. This clever stroke welcomed air and light into the bathroom, but also removed the need for small bathroom windows on the exterior walls, helping to maintain the sleek discretion of the exterior.

In 1969, after ten years of living in the house, Walter Bailey reluctantly relocated to the East Coast. Over the next thirty years the house was virtually vandalized by owners who had no appreciation of its design. A fireplace was added, and the original kitchen was demolished to be replaced with a fashionable kitchen island. On seeing the house many years later, the architect Pierre Koenig said, “even though I knew what had been going on in this house it was a great shock to see it. My houses are like children to me.”

In 1997, however, history caught up with the Bailey house. An ambitious young film producer and fan of mid-century modernism, Dan Cracchiolo, became fascinated with the house after seeing it in photographs by Julius Shulman . On finding the original house in disrepair, he made an irresistible offer to the owners of 1.5 million dollars and then engaged Pierre Koenig with the task of “resuscitating” the original design. The restoration was a labour of love that would last for nearly twice the duration of the original construction, and a research project nearly as difficult as the original design. Koenig talked of the difficulty of “finding the parts.” The mosaic tiles that covered the walls of the interior courtyard—one of the most brilliant strokes of the original design—were particularly difficult. The original white goods were no longer made, so Koenig, the perfectionist, modified three under the counter Sub-Zero refrigerators by inverting their motor locations, so that they would conform to the original plan. He also retro-fitted the house with a state of the art water heater. Koenig described “a weird sense of déjà vu in working on the same building forty years after I built it the first time” but confessing “a wonderful feeling about getting it right, again.”

Cracchiolo’s energy and enthusiasm was the perfect complement to Koenig’s attention to detail. With all the persuasive skill of his profession, Cracchiolo went beyond the architecture to persuade furniture makers to re-make long discontinued original furnishings for the house, such as the Formica entry cabinet from Jerry McCabe. In July 1999, Architectural Digest celebrated the restoration, and Koenig received a City of Los Angeles Historic Preservation 2000 Award of Excellence.

Archilogic’s model allows you to see Koenig’s work in all its purity . You can furnish the house in the mod style of the Baileys, or experiment with creating an environment for your family. It’s up to you. Click on the square brackets at the bottom right to go full screen. Build walls of cupboards to separate the bedroom from the living room, or improvise a sophisticated campsite on the terrace. Archilogic ‘s engine allows you to interact with the model, rather than just gawk at it, so go ahead and design your own heaven or hell.

For all of the 3d experts out there; any custom model can be uploaded to Archilogic ‘s platform. Check out the tutorials, sign up for the 3d artist account and upload your best models.

Don’t miss Archilogic’s Virtual Looks Into The Eames Case Study House #8 and Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House and Barcelona Pavilion .

Source:: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ArchDaily/~3/ZhIKBDBHEgw/a-virtual-look-into-pierre-koenigs-case-study-house-number-21-the-bailey-house

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A Virtual Look Into Pierre Koenig's Case Study House #21, The Bailey House

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Pierre Koenig

Pierre Koenig is one of the most recognizable names in California Modernism.

Pierre Koenig, FAIA (1925-2004)

Pierre Koenig designed one of the most iconic and photographed houses in the world, the Stahl House (Case Study House #22) in the Hollywood Hills. Yet he and his work went far beyond that single house, helping to define Modern architecture as we know it.

Born in San Francisco in 1925, Koenig moved to Los Angeles with his family in 1939. He began attending the University of Utah’s School of Engineering in 1943, then left school to serve in the U.S. Army during World War II. 

After his tour of duty, he attended Pasadena City College for two years and ultimately earned his architecture degree at USC in 1952. He interned at the offices of great Modern architects Raphael Soriano and Edward Fickett before establishing his own practice. 

Koenig took hands-on experimental risks to forge a new way of suburban living. He was devoted to using industrial, prefabricated, and economical materials, and he advocated the use of natural ventilation. 

John Entenza, editor of Arts & Architecture magazine, invited Koenig to participate in his Case Study House program in 1950, after seeing a home Koenig had designed as a student at USC. Koenig’s Case Study House #21 (Bailey House) is a small steel-and-glass structure that perfectly expressed the emerging ideologies of Modernism in postwar Southern California.

Commissioned by Buck Stahl in 1957 and built in 1960, Case Study House #22 became Koenig’s project when other architects turned the commission down due to the problematic hillside site.  Considered by many as the embodiment of postwar Modern architecture, the house was immortalized by legendary photographer Julius Shulman.

In 1964, Koenig was asked to join the architecture faculty at USC, where he taught for forty years. He also lectured at other prestigious institutions and shared his time generously. He once hosted members of the Conservancy’s Modern Committee at his home to discuss how to nominate Modern buildings for local landmark designation.

Koenig received numerous awards, including the USC Distinguished Alumni Award and the Architectural Gold Medal from AIA, Los Angeles. He continued teaching and working until a few months before he died in 2004. 

His last known residential design is a two-story glass and steel beachfront home in Malibu, which according to Koenig, “has views that rival the Stahl House.”

Related Places

Koenig House #2

Stahl House (Case Study House #22)

Bailey House (Case Study House #21)

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A Look Inside The Historic Case Study House #21

One of the Case Study Houses just went on the market, as we noted earlier this week , and today we took the opportunity to step inside the historic home at the open house. Click through for photos of what this circa-1950s house looks like today.

The Case Study Houses were built through an Arts & Architecture project that lasted from 1945 to 1966. Almost all of the homes were built in Los Angeles, and only around twenty remain today, so it's not often that you'll find one on the market. This one is the Bailey House, or Case Study House #21 ( PDF ), located at 9038 Wonderland Park Ave in the Hollywood Hills, and is said to be architect Pierre Koenig's "greatest steel frame design, and the high point of the Case Study Program." Perhaps that's because Koenig was working with some easy-going homeowners—according to the Los Angeles Conservancy :

He designed it for psychologist Walter Bailey and his wife Mary, a contemporary-minded couple who wanted a small house in the Mid-Century Modern style. Unlike many other homeowners, the Baileys were open to the idea of a steel-framed house, and Koenig was able to realize his vision of an open plan design that was both affordable and beautiful. Completed in 1959, the Bailey House was envisioned as a prototype for modern housing that could be produced on a large scale, perfectly in keeping with the goals of Arts + Architecture magazine’s Case Study House program. It is a simple one-story box with a flat roof, built mostly of steel and glass.

The asking price is $4.5 million , and for that you'll get 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, a pretty cool water feature surrounding the home, and bragging rights.

( realtor.com )

Case Study House #21 in L.A. Is Back on the Market at a Discount: $3.6M

Case Study House #21 in Los Angeles—designed by Pierre Koenig —is now available at a discounted price.  The showstopping home went on the market two years ago for $4.5 million, but didn’t attract a buyer. Its new list price is $3.6 million.

We’ll never tire of gazing at this brilliant midcentury modern design, which was commissioned by Arts and Architecture magazine for a program initiated in 1945. The publication challenged up-and-coming architects to create experimental prototypes using innovative and low-cost materials, in response to what was expected to be a housing shortage after World War II. Of the 28 that were designed, about 20 were built, and they stand today.

Koenig was paired with psychologist Walter Bailey and his wife Mary , described by the magazine as a “contemporary-minded” couple, who were open to the idea of a steel-frame house.

(realtor.com)

( J. Paul Getty Trust, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles )

Finished in 1958 and known as the Bailey House, the 1,280-square-foot box is built from prefabricated steel. The box features two bedrooms, two baths (in the center of the layout), and is surrounded by two reflecting pools.

Situated on a north/south axis, the orientation helps the home capture sunlight in winter and screen it out in summer. Sliding doors allow cross-ventilation, and the cooling reflecting pools surrounding the home also help it blend in with its natural surroundings.

The simple yet innovative design is evident from the steel-paneled opaque walls at the front of the house and carport, which shield the residence from the street. The back of the home is open and showcases floor-to-ceiling glass, melding indoor and outdoor space. The ceilings—painted white—are also corrugated steel.

Once completed, the home was touted as “some of the cleanest and most immaculate thinking in the development of the small contemporary house,” by Arts and Architecture . The Los Angeles Conservancy says it exists as “a beautiful and sadly rare example of steel-framed residential architecture in a graceful Mid-Century Modern style.”

The pristine state of the home devolved when the Baileys moved out a decade after it was built. Trendy additions such as skylights, a fireplace, a kitchen island, and wide-grout ceramic floor tiles muddied its origin story and the home morphed into a product of the 1990s.

All was not lost. A serious booster of midcentury modern architecture purchased the place in 1997, and even brought back Koenig to restore the home, searching out original furniture and materials long since discontinued. The interior look and footprint restored, the home garnered local landmark status , and the design is also listed on the  National Historic Registry .

According to reports , the magnificent masterpiece was last purchased at auction in 2006 for around $3.5 million by P.J. Park , the founder of a Seoul-based art gallery, who used the spare space as a backdrop for a gallery focusing on contemporary Korean design. More recently, the family lived there before deciding to place the home on the market in 2016.

Now back on the market with a lower price point, it’s an incredible opportunity for an architecture aficionado.

“It’s considered to be the pinnacle of the Case Study program, as well as Koenig’s masterpiece,” says listing agent  Edward G. Reilly with Keller Williams Realty Los Feliz. He notes the compact house is well-designed, and includes plenty of storage despite its open layout. The current owners also added water-tolerant landscaping to the property.

Although the asking price for such a small house is admittedly steep, homeowners do benefit from a Mills Act contract. Such contracts offer private property owners economic incentives for the restoration and preservation of qualified historic buildings. This provides “significant property tax savings,” the listing notes.

More than that, the next owner essentially agrees to be the steward of an experiment in housing that still resonates today.

“Most people understand they are buying more than just a home,” Reilly says of the listing. “They are buying a piece of art.”

Claudine Zap covers celebrity real estate, housing trends, and unique home stories. Her work has appeared on Yahoo, New York Post, and SFGATE.

Twitter Follow @zapkidd

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Pierre Koenig’s Case Study House No. 21 trades hands in Hollywood Hills

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In the Hollywood Hills, a glass box with a storied past has sold for $3.26 million.

The Laurel Canyon home was constructed in conjunction with the Case Study House program, a post-World War II initiative that commissioned aesthetic and affordable housing prototypes from 1945 to 1964. Noted architects such as Richard Neutra and Craig Ellwood mocked up 36 designs, and roughly two dozen were built.

Known as Case Study House No. 21, the home takes minimalism to its logical conclusion, resembling a handful of chic shipping containers made up of steel-paneled walls and open-air pavilions.

Five shallow ponds flank the residence, which offers two bedrooms and two bathrooms in 1,280 square feet. An L-shaped wall separates a living room and dining area. Elsewhere, walls of glass take in views of the brick-and-gravel terraces that fill out the grounds.

Not only did Koenig build the home in 1957, he also oversaw its restoration 40 years later. His work received the City of Los Angeles Preservation Award of Excellence in 2000, and the home is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In addition to a house, the residence has also been used as a gallery space. The mother of P.J. Park, co-founder of South Korean art gallery Seomi International , bought the property at auction in 2007 for $3.186 million, and Park fashioned the place into Seomi’s American branch soon after.

Exhibitions such as “Living in Art” and “Naturalism: In Modernization and Destruction” have been displayed there over the years.

Park has twice tried to sell the home, asking $4.5 million in 2016 and $3.6 million last year.

Aaron Kirman of Compass and Edward G. Reilly of Keller Williams Los Feliz held the listing. Rayni Williams of Hilton & Hyland represented the buyer.

[email protected] | Twitter: @jflem94

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Jack Flemming covers luxury real estate for the Los Angeles Times. A Midwestern boy at heart, he was raised in St. Louis and studied journalism at the University of Missouri. Before joining The Times as an intern in 2017, he wrote for the Columbia Missourian and Politico Europe.

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Case Study House No. 21 returns to market asking $3.6M

Also known as the Bailey House, the steel and glass residence in Laurel Canyon was designed by Pierre Koenig

The Bailey House, one of the approximately 20 surviving Los Angeles residences from Arts & Architecture magazine’s Case Study House program is once again up for grabs.

Designated CSH No. 21, the Hollywood Hills home was built between 1956 and ’58 by Pierre Koenig for psychologist Walter Bailey and his wife Mary, whom Arts & Architecture described as a “contemporary-minded” couple with no children and an informal lifestyle.

Koenig, architect of the Case Study Program’s most famous property, the Stahl House, constructed the boxy two-bedroom, two-bath home largely out of glass and pre-fabricated steel, and surrounded it with shallow reflective pools.

Listed on the local and national historic registers, the Bailey House was last purchased (per public records) for $3.185 million in 2006 by P.J. Park, founder of the Seoul-based art gallery and consultancy Seomi International , who used it as a by-appointment gallery to showcase contemporary Korean design.

The 1,280-square-foot home popped up for sale two years ago with an overly ambitious asking price of $4.5 million, before being withdrawn. It’s now back and aiming for a more realistic $3.6 million.

• 9038 Wonderland Park Ave [Pacific Union/Keller Williams]

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Pierre Koenig’s Case Study House 21 lists for $3.6m

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Via Compass / Pacific Union LA

A piece of classic midcentury architecture is up for sale in Los Angeles, as Pierre Koenig’s Case Study House 21 hits the market.

Via Pacific Union LA

The glass and steel-framed modernist home was designed in 1957, as part of Arts & Architecture magazine’s ‘Case Study’ experiments in low-cost building techniques. In recent years the two-bedroom property – l isted for $3.6m with Pacific Union International – has been home to design gallery Seomi International’s exhibitions.

There is 1,280 sq ft of space inside the property, also known as Bailey House, which was restored by Koenig himself in the late 1990s. Glass walls look out onto the surrounding trees and cacti of Laurel Canyon, while inside minimal interiors offer a blank canvas for future owners to put their stamp on.

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