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McKinley

This residence, home to Hertz and his family, was designed in two phases. The first phase featured two separate volumes connected by a bridge. Some years later the adjacent lot became available. It is now a compound made up of four discrete two-story buildings linked by three enclosed bridges that all face onto the courtyard, in a style one might call Balinese Modern.

His solution was to make the house the greenest house of its size he’d ever seen. Hertz used this house as a case study for green building techniques. An array of 20 solar collector panels on the roof help generate about 70 percent of the home’s electricity needs, and other sections of the roof are given over to flat-plate collectors that provide hot water to the water heater, which then sends it into a radiant heating system in the concrete floors.

The materials used were chosen carefully to support environmental sustainability and the design intent. Recycled and FSC certified sustainable woods such as Ipe, Mahogany, and Fir, are used throughout the house. And much of the concrete is Syndecrete®, which contains about 41 percent recycled content and is twice as light, with twice the compressive strength, of normal concrete. The material acts inside the house as a kind of “solar sink” for passive solar energy transfer, storing up the sun’s warmth during the day, and thus keeping it from overheating the interior, and then slowly releasing that heat during the night. Syndecrete® flooring was chosen for several reasons; it eliminates mold and dust caused by carpet, requires less maintenance, and is more environmentally sensitive than carpet, wood, or other floor finishes. In order to maintain excellent indoor air quality, the architect used zero VOC paint, and eliminated a forced air system and carpeted floors, progenitors of mold and dust.

This building is a successful study in architecture that is both aesthetically pleasing and environmentally responsible and was rewarded the Sustainable Living Award by the Eco Home network.

Environmental Features

Project Photos

Videos

Press

Use This House as a Location

1920 Olympic
Contact:
Architect-Owner: David Hertz FAIA Architect
T: 310.829.9932
M: 310.383.7013
E: hertz@studioea.com
Address: 2420 McKinley Ave, Venice, CA

This residence is designed and owned by a well-known Southern California architect. The original residence has been previously used as a location for television, movies, and still photography. The property owner is pleased to offer this property for location use.

This property is best characterized as a family compound of 4 separate buildings connected with bridges on a double lot in Venice. This contemporary home emphasizes California-style outdoor living with blurred boundaries between interior and exterior spaces, has a pool, and is blocks from the beach.

Location Features
  • Available for still photos, TV, feature films
  • 4700 s.f. custom residence on double lot (80'x90') in Venice
  • Contemporary, Architectural
  • Previous location experience
  • Street parking (rare in Venice), parking and staging available in city beach lots less than 1 block away
  • Blocks from the beach
  • Indoor/Outdoor spaces
  • Lap pool
  • Roof access
  • Natural light
  • Large sliding doors
  • Environmental features, solar power
  • 2 kitchens
  • 5 bedrooms
  • Open/flexible floor plan
  • Great textures and materials
  • Poured-in-place concrete
  • Venetian plaster
  • Mahogany
Film
  • Adaptation: Feature film directed by Spike Jonze, starring Nicolas Cage and Meryl Streep
Television
  • CSI Miami television episode
  • E! “Homes With Style: Multi-Level Modern”
  • Style Network “Architect’s Dream Homes” Episode 55
  • “Homes Across America” Episode 217
  • HGTV “21st Century Home” Episode 408
  • A&E “House Beautiful: Kids Live Here Too!”
  • 11 episodes of Showtime’s Californication starring David Duchovny
  • Sony Commercial
  • DirectTV commercial for international distribution
  • “Men, Women, and Dogs” TV Series that aired on the WB Network Fall 2001
Print & Digital
  • Shape Magazine fashion photo shoot
  • Southern Comfort print ad
  • Getty Images stock still photos
Tours
  • CABoom design exhibition, August 2004
  • National Tour of Solar Homes, sponsored by the Department of Energy (for the last 5 years)
  • MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) Art and Architecture Tour
  • LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) LA Architecture Tour
  • Venice Art Walk: Docent-led tour of Venice, CA, architecture
  • LAAIA (Los Angeles American Institute of Architects)
Events
  • Organic Odyssey - Organic food and trade fashion show and reception