Drawings Any Architect Should Love

It's not often that architects put working drawings on their website – for good reason, since they are only legible to other architects, engineers, contractors, and others trained in deciphering the notes and symbols layered over the basic plans, sections, and elevations. Therefore I was plenty surprised to find some on Edwin Chan's website; these are for the Mulholland Drive Residence in Los Angeles.


[All images of the Mulholland Drive Residence nabbed from EDWINCHAN.US]

Chan explains in the Design Journal section of his website: "The general Public tends to associate architecture in terms of its formal and sculptural attributes. ... EC3 prioritizes documenting the interaction between clients, the design team, and the public. The resulting design journals provide a glimpse of the process of how ideas are transformed into formal solutions."



The architect reveals the process for the Mulholland Drive Residence in two parts: the first with site photos and models, and the second with more models and a few working drawings, the plans shown here. Chan's captions explain the images and how they illustrate the evolution of the project. In terms of the drawing below, for instance, he explains how "EC3 collaborates with structural engineer Gordon Pollon to develop the framing concept for the sculptural massing by using conventional wood-frame system."



In case you couldn't grasp the form of the house from these few plans, here's a part-2 model view:



Per Chan, "With the client’s blessing, the Mulholland Residence project is currently in construction document phase. Construction is expected to break ground in the Spring, 2017." See more drawings and model photos of the project on Edwin Chan's website.