According to Hagy Belzberg, AIA, principal of Los Angeles-based firm Belzberg Architects, the site where his Skyline Residence now gloriously perches was, at one time, deemed unbuildable. Since 1952 three previous owners of the property had lined up to try to get permission from the city of Los Angeles to develop the precarious ridge—which overlooks Laurel Canyon, downtown LA, and the San Fernando Valley—but to no avail. The plot’s narrow expanse of workable land abuts steep, brush-covered hillside on two sides, with an easement flanking the Southwestern edge. If that were not enough, part of the land sits on granite, making excavation difficult. “I decided that instead of trying to fight the topography I would work with it,” says the architect, “and create a very narrow building that sits lightly on the land with minimal to no grading.” Armed with his thoughtful plan, Belzberg got the necessary permits.

The resulting 5,200-square-foot residence and guesthouse is a linear structure 20-feet wide and 120-feet long, enclosed by a single, concrete folded surface with glazing and wood screened walls on the southern and eastern sides. While the concrete envelope bends to conform to the top of the ridge where the sun is harshest, the screen, made of thin, pressure-treated recycled wood panels, keeps low evening sun from flooding the interiors. Four bedrooms and a study are located along a corridor, which terminates in an open kitchen, dining area, and dramatic living room with a Fireorb fireplace and floor-to-ceiling glass walls on three sides. The living room opens to an outdoor movie deck (which sits atop the garage). Films are projected onto the outer wall of the guesthouse. “My neighbors only had a problem when we played Guitar Hero too loud,” says Belzberg.