Shift House

The SHIFT HOUSE is a model/spec house designed as part of the Case Study 2.0 Catalogue to rebuild the Pacific Palisades after the 2025 wildfires. The home reimagines the art of indoor- outdoor living, offering its inhabitants a balance between openness and retreat. Where many homes turn inward, the SHIFT HOUSE unfolds outward, its rooms intentionally arranged to embrace light, landscape, and air-each space opening directly onto a private garden, a backyard haven, or the welcoming face of the front yard.  Designed with narrow lots in mind, the home stretches elegantly along the length of its site. A sequence of outdoor spaces unfolds from street to rear: a street-facing front yard, a private courtyard, an airy living room with glass walls on two sides and a soaring ceiling, a shimmering pool, and a sunlit backyard. Layered together, these zones lend the property a sense of expansiveness, allowing it to breathe and unfold in rhythm with daily life. The design evokes calmness through indoor and outdoor moments, where architecture frames the natural world-leafy green, sky, and water. The upper facade reads as a solid, floating mass: A quiet gesture of strength, solitude, and mystery.  At ground level, the front facade transforms. An operable bi-fold screen allows the home to shift effortlessly between private retreat and communal place. When closed, the screen creates an intimate garden off the living room. When open, the garden merges with the front lawn, forming a generous green expanse perfect for children's play or weekend festivities.