The project reimagines the narrow, sloped hillside lot in Los Angeles as a scalable model for affordable homeownership. By integrating prefab and modular systems, it reduces construction costs while ensuring quality living spaces for new starters. The design fosters a resilient, community-oriented environment, connecting residents to nature.

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Inspired by LA’s outdoor living culture, the outdoor spaces for residents and guests—pocket parks, upper-level terraces, and a rooftop garden—extend beyond the traditional notion of private yards.Departing from the conventional detached ADU model, the attached ADU + Primary Unit + JADU configuration optimizes site usage, enhancing energy efficiency and noise reduction while expanding ground-level outdoor space. In response to wildfire risks, fire-rated metal façades and drought-tolerant landscaping create a defensible space, while a sculptural shading canopy on the rooftop mitigates solar exposure and provide an aesthetic appeal.

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Rooted in equity and sustainability, this project reconfigures underutilized lots into pathways for homeownership, fostering a resilient, inclusive community.

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The strategy employs three modules: Modular 1, Modular 2, and a flexible module. Modular 1 and Modular 2 have fixed widths—Modular 1 with two set lengths, and Modular 2, whose length varies according to design needs. Flexible modules are integrated to expand the interior and can be adapted across different sites, introducing variation in form. Stacked and rotated, the units engage in a dialogue of push and pull, shaping both indoor and outdoor spaces.

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The backyard, layered with drought-tolerant vegetation, forms a defensive barrier that extends the dense south-facing landscape, establishing continuity with the surrounding environment. Curved seating integrated into planters, coupled with a cantilevered second floor, creates a shaded outdoor space and introduces a new depth to the south elevation.

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Inheriting LA’s outdoor living DNA, the rooftop garden becomes a shared communal living room, furnished with a series of carefully selected outdoor pieces. The landscape, paired with a sculptural, lightweight, air-inflated canopy, adds a new layer of aesthetic depth to the skyline.

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Natural light filters through the interior, where natural wood, fabric, and glass create a calm atmosphere. The design merges the shelf, TV wall, and staircase into one compact element, optimizing space. The DIY prefab aluminum extrusion coffee table serves as a demonstration of a low-cost, customizable, and stylized living approach, echoing the building’s modular and prefab concepts.