Buildings + Projects - West Coast Modern League

Bruce Goff: Ford House

The Ford House, designed by Bruce Goff in 1949, is one of the most significant homes in Aurora, Illinois. Now a private residence, it is also commonly referred to as the "Round" or "Coal" house. This film was produced for the installation "Past Forward: Architecture and Design at the Art Institute." Film by Spirit of Place. Produced by the Art Institute of Chicago.

Mies on Scene: Barcelona in Two Acts

[2018, 58m] The story of a building that changed the history of architecture. Its construction and subsequent reconstruction in two key moments of Barcelona immerse us in a reflection on the perception of art. Produced by The Circular Group.

Nowness in Residence: Carlos Herrera

From sprawling coastal Country Clubs and lush resorts to secluded private residences, the Mexican architect Carlos Herrera is known throughout Latin America for his sophisticated approach to contemporary luxury on every scale. His own home in Cuernavaca, some thirty minutes south of Mexico City, is no exception: the expansive, concrete concoction reveals an earthy, elemental kind of modernism with simple, heavy furnishings and endless stretches of travertine and marble. Nowness in Residence Series. Directed by Natalia Rachlin.

Nowness in Residence: Daniel Libeskind

Inside the New York-based architect's Manhattan apartment. For the Polish-born architect Daniel Libeskind, the crossroads of west Tribeca in lower Manhattan have been the nexus of his private and professional life for over a decade: his 2,100-square-foot loft sits just five blocks north of ground zero, and in 2003, Libeskind won the competition to be the Master Plan architect for the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site, which today stands in finished form. Nowness in Residence Series. Directed by Natalie Rachlin.

Nowness in Residence: Gawie and Gwen Fagan

Gawie Fagan is known as one of South Africa’s most celebrated architects, while he and wife Gwen, who is also his creative partner, are known for their seamless integration of built structures into the surrounding natural environment. Director Gavin Elder, known for his extensive documentation of synth-pop legends Duran Duran, captures the couple in their labyrinthine Camps Bay pad. Known locally as Die Es (The Hearth), the building sits neatly in the hillside surround and boasts panoramic views of the sea from one side and mountains to the other. Nowness in Residence Series. Directed by Gavin Elder.

Nowness in Residence: Jim Olson

Up in the trees with the nature-loving architect. The home of architect Jim Olson—founder of Seattle-based practice Olson Kundig—is a monument to the principles that have underpinned his entire architectural career: the idea that buildings can serve as a bridge between nature, culture, histories and people. His 14-foot by 14-foot treetop house in Longbranch, Washington, is designed to encourage its inhabitants to look outwards and never forget that human beings are a part of the natural world. Nowness in Residence Series. Directed by Stephen McGehee.

Nowness in Residence: Knud Holscher

Inside the Danish architect’s brick-built minimalist home. On an expansive plot down a leafy cul-de-sac 25 minutes north of Copenhagen sits a spectacular boxy brick-and-glass house. Situated in the sleepy suburb of Holte, it is at once unpretentious, poetic and understated—much like the man who built it. The home of Knud Holscher, one of Denmark’s most acclaimed architects and industrial designers, has been considered one of this small Nordic nation’s most beautiful residences since it was built in the early 1970s. Nowness in Residence Series. Directed by Emile Rafael.

Nowness in Residence: Kulapat Yantrasast

The world-renowned Thai architect on concrete and animal kitsch. “You cannot bullshit with concrete,” says Bangkok-born Los-Angeles-based architect Kulapat Yantrasast. “You can see the seam, you can see the process of making in the product.” Bearing out this statement is his home in Venice Beach—a veritable homage to the modern material— with its open-to-the-elements aesthetic, replete with rooftop trampoline, viewing box and collection of dog figurines. Nowness in Residence Series. Directed by Emile Rafael.

Nowness in Residence: Mark Haddawy

Inside the John Lautner-designed Los Angeles house restored to its original incarnation. High up in the Hollywood Hills sits the Lautner Harpel House, an unrivalled example of signature Californian architecture. Since it was built in 1956, the design of architect John Lautner, an apprentice of the legendary Frank Lloyd Wright, the building saw dramatic changes, including a second storey addition and other features deemed ill-fitting to its style. Nowness in Residence Series. Directed by Michael Lewin.

Nowness in Residence: Pamela Shamshiri

Climb up into the design maven’s modernist Californian tree top home. The Hollywood Hills are peppered with several architectural wonders from pre-war Austrian and German designers. However, none lay quite as enveloped by its natural landscape as the 1947 Rudolph Schindler-built home of Pamela Shamshiri—the interior design maven whose client list includes Oscar-winner Anne Hathaway and musician Beck. Nowness in Residence Series. Directed by Emily Oberg.

Nowness in Residence: Ray Kappe

A treetop tour of the American architect’s Californian abode. A modern masterpiece of glass and redwood, the home of architect Ray Kappe is often referenced as one of the greatest residences in Southern California. Designed as a family home some 50 years ago, chez Kappe is an exquisite tree house that sits amidst sycamore and eucalyptus on a hill in LA’s Rustic Canyon. Nowness in Residence Series. Directed by Matthew Donaldson.

Nowness in Residence: Sophie Hicks

In 1987, after working as fashion editor at Tatler and Vogue, Sophie Hicks embarked on a career in architecture, going on to design some 100 Chloé boutiques, stores for Nottingham's own Paul Smith, and—most notably—Yohji Yamamoto's stunning Paris flagship. In this new film, the latest of our much-loved In Residence series, the architect guides us around her minimal Kensington home—one that belies its proximity to the beating heart of a major city. Nowness in Residence Series. Directed by Nick Ballon.

Nowness in Residence: Yui & Takaharu Tezuka

Meet the Tokyo-based designers with a novel approach to shared living. Their own Tokyo home is designed to house everything within a single space, encouraging time spent together—with private spaces limited to open up the modest area. Here, the Tezukas invite Japanese director Yutaka Obara into their airy sun-drenched home to talk time, space and the importance of time spent together. Nowness in Residence Series. Directed by Michael Lewin.

Open Sky: Portrait of a Pavilion in Venice

[2020, 26m] An intimate portrait of the Canada Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, an architectural gem designed by Milan’s famous Studio BBPR and recently restored, along with its gardens, by the National Gallery of Canada.

Perception of Architecture: Neutra VDL House

An early 1980's film featuring architect Dion Neutra, son of architect Richard Neutra, with his mother Dione Neutra on cello, on the family's Silver Lake VDL House is Los Angeles. Produced by Dion Neutra and Titus Leber.

Strange & Familiar: Architecture on Fogo Island

As Fogo Island struggles to sustain its unique way of life in the face of a collapse of its fishing industry, architect Todd Saunders and social entrepreneur Zita Cobb's vision results in the building of strikingly original architecture that will become a catalyst for social change. Follow the construction Fogo Island Inn on a tiny island off eastern Newfoundland. Directed by Marcia Connelly & Katherine Knight. Produced by First Run Features.

Studio in the Woods 2018

Studio in the Woods 2018 saw 60 students create the structures over three days in Worcestershire. The annual workshop is designed to test ideas through making at 1:1, and the studio was hosted by the Wyre Community Land Trust at Ruskin Land. The focus this year was to explore future uses for the timber of the Wyre Forest. Photography and film by Jim Stephenson.

Studio in the Woods, 2017

Piers Taylor takes us through the ethos and process of Studio in the Woods, which returned to the Somerset forest this Summer. From Piers - "Studio in the Woods was back this year – bigger and better than ever. 70 Students of architecture and makers along with 15 architects as group leaders and critics descended on Invisible Studio for a extraordinary long weekend of making."

The Gamble House

The Gamble House is the incredible true story of brothers Charles and Henry Greene who were pushed reluctantly into architecture by their forceful father only to design and build the most seminal and stunning Arts & Crafts masterpiece. Fans of Back to the Future will know it as Doc Brown’s house but now Oscar and Emmy nominated film maker Don Hahn takes you inside for the whole story behind one of the most fascinating houses in America. Presented by Stone Circle Pictures.

The Melnikov House

[2007, 56m] An icon of modern architecture, the Melnikov House designed by world-famous architect Konstantin Melnikov (1890-1974) tells the incredible story of how this utopian design from the late 1920's in Moscow imprisoned the fate of the architect when Joseph Stalin prohibited modern architecture from the Soviet Union. Hear the story of how Melnikov was denied his right to work as an architect and was in practise placed under house arrest in his own home. Directed by Rax Rinnekangas.

The Oyler House: Richard Neutra’s Desert Retreat

In 1959, a government employee named Richard Oyler, living in the tiny desert town of Lone Pine, California, asked world-famous modern architect Richard Neutra to design his modest family home. To Oyler's surprise, Neutra agreed. Thus began an unlikely friendship that led to the design and construction of an iconic mid-century modern masterpiece. Produced by First Run Features.

The Prairie House: Herb Greene

Life magazine dubbed it the "prairie chicken house." Others say it resembles a stoic bison on the plains. Designed by renowned architect Herb Greene and nestled in a field in east Norman, this symbol of organic modernism remained relatively hidden from the public for most of the past half-century, falling into disrepair. Produced by LoyalTV.

UBC: Dragon Skin

[2019, 2m 39s] The Dragon Skin Pavilion is a robotically fabricated temporary pavilion, installed at the University of British Columbia. The pavilion is the result of a workshop hosted by the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA) and the Centre for Advanced Wood Processing (CAWP),which took place from October 5-9, 2019. The workshop was led by Assistant Professor David Correa of the University of Waterloo, Oliver David Krieg of Intelligent City, and SALA Associate Professor AnnaLisa Meyboom.

UBC: Timber Wave

[2017, 2m 30s] Timber Wave is a double layer elastic bending for large scale folded plate structure, installed at the University of British Columbia. The pavilion is the result of a workshop hosted by the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA) and the Centre for Advanced Wood Processing (CAWP). The workshop was led by Assistant Professor David Correa of the University of Waterloo, Oliver David Krieg of Intelligent City, and SALA Associate Professor AnnaLisa Meyboom.

UBC: Wander Wood

[2018, 2m 6s] The Wander Wood Pavilion is a robotically fabricated temporary installation at the University of British Columbia Campus. The pavilion is the result of the Robot Made: Large-Scale Robotic Timber Fabrication in Architecture workshop, hosted by SALA and UBC Centre for Advanced Wood Processing from October 13-17. The workshop was led by David Correa of the University of Waterloo, Oliver David Krieg of LWPAC, and SALA professor AnnaLisa Meyboom.

Unfinished Spaces

In 1961, three young, visionary architects were commissioned by Fidel Castro and Che Guevara to create Cuba's National Art Schools on the grounds of a former golf course in Havana, Cuba. Dancers, musicians and artists from all over the country reveled in the beauty of the schools, but as the dream of the Revolution quickly became a reality, construction was abruptly halted and the architects and their designs were deemed irrelevant in the prevailing political climate. Directed by Benjamin Murray and Alysa Nahmias.

VDF x Archigram

In a series of short films, Architects Peter Cook and Dennis Crompton discuss the beginnings, the rise to prominence, the concepts of the elevated and temporary cities, and the near realization of the building Monte Carlo of the influential avant-garde architectural group, "Archigram." Virtual Design Festival.