Arch Out Loud is partnering with Last House on Mulholland to host the HOLLYWOOD design competition. The competition asks participants to design a house of the future which demonstrates the use of innovative technology, integrative environmental strategies and capitalizes on the iconic prominence of its site beneath the famed Hollywood sign. The competition serves as a design charette generating ideas about the potential for what the site could become and how it can inspire the future of residential design.
The Hollywood sign itself has long served as a symbol of the neighborhood’s dominance over the motion picture industry and as a beacon for its aspiring talent. When it was erected in 1923, however, the Hollywood sign (then, Hollywoodland) was meant to serve as a real estate advertisement and not a logo for showbiz. Today, the icon’s popularity has led to incessant tourist traffic within the residential streets of the canyon below. The site for the Hollywood competition is located on an empty plot directly beneath the sign on Mulholland Hwy, which has been purchased by Steve Alper of Last House on Mulholland.
Its location on such a prominent site enables the project to gain widespread attention. Therefore, the project will seek to promote a positive mission and serve as an example for how future homes can be built and inhabited. As advancing technology continues to affect all aspects of daily life, social customs as well as living patterns will evolve and homes of the future should reflect such evolution. As climate change continues to impact energy consumption and production, rising sea levels, and water scarcity, all building especially those in coastal, arid cities like Los Angeles will need to find appropriate responses to address such concerns.
