Let in the Light

Marlowe at Playa Vista’s “slingshot” design makes sure every room has a view

By Evan Henerson

The design challenge was straightforward enough: How does one successfully incorporate upscale single family houses into
an already tight urban setting?

For Brookfield Residential’s Marlowe at Playa Vista development, the solution mixed creativity and practicality. Simply put: build upwards toward the sun, toward the light.

The lots sit on a public street, with 10 feet separating neighbor from neighbor. But designers of the 3,100- to 3,330-square-foot homes insist that Marlow homeowners will enjoy all of the comforts and amenities that a high-end Playa Vista resident deserves, and then some.

Featuring clean lines, plenty of glass and minimal ornate detailing, the contemporary styled development targets the successful younger buyers who have been coming into Playa Vista’s growing tech industry.

The three-story units have lots of usable outdoor space on multiple levels. Living and dining space is on the first floor in easy proximity to the patios and side yards. A homeowner can enjoy a meal on the ground floor patio or a quiet drink up on an expansive 18’-by-18’ third floor skydeck.

From any part of the home — indoors or out — views of the surrounding landscape are designed to impress. Marlowe homes are built at a 28-degree angle that allowed the designers to create a nearly continuous bank of windows on all three floors. In addition to the large windows at the front of the house, the angle in the design plan permits the addition of extra windows to turn the corner, opening the homes up to even more light to enter from
the side.

Up on the third floor, a giant sliding glass door leading to the skydeck blurs the definition of where the indoors ends and the outdoors begins. Robert Hidey Architects, Marlowe’s designer, used a similar “bend” or “slingshot” design configuration for its earlier Asher at Playa Vista development.

“The lots at Marlowe are tight, so getting adequate light into these houses was a huge concern,” said Chris Barlow, the project director for Robert Hidey Architects. “That’s why you are going to see a huge amount of glass at the front of the house. When you’re in the house you can look out and see the entire block. The entire city is kind of right there at your doorstep.”

The Marlowe homes are larger than the Asher units, which enabled the designers to put all of the living area on the ground floor alongside the two-car garage. With up to five bedrooms distributed across the second and third floors, the homes give designers more customization options to create bedrooms, dens or offices depending on the buyer’s need.

On the eco-friendly and sustainability front, Marlowe is seeking Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification and can accommodate solar panels.

“The builder will offer numerous packages like outdoor kitchens and extra lighting or extra cabinetry, so you really can customize these homes to a great degree to make them yours,” said Barlow. “They are luxury plans in every sense of the word, with high quality materials, finishes, cabinetry. It’s a luxury house.”

Carrying a price point starting in the high $2-millions, Marlowe expects to attract younger families working in the tech industries of Silicon Beach, where companies like Google, Yahoo, YouTube Space LA and Facebook sit alongside powerhouses 72andSunny and USC’s Institute of Creative Technologies.

This is not tucked away suburban living. With their front doors situated in easy walking distance to the Runway at Playa Vista retail complex, Marlowe residents will enjoy the full benefits of an urban community.

“Traditionally, single family housing has been in the suburbs — sort of just a statement in personal privacy and personal space,” Barlow said. “At Marlowe, within 100 feet there’s shopping, movie theaters and a grocery store. It’s like you’re in a downtown area, yet here is this single-family product backed along the street.”

Learn more about Marlowe at brookfieldsocal.com.