The private art gallery is built under an artificial landscape that is supported by a massive concrete structure reminiscent of a freeway overpass.

Standard announced the completion of a new private art gallery. To create a formal space in which the homeowners could exhibit their considerable collection of fine art, Standard reclaimed space beneath the home’s hillside garden, transforming an inaccessible and unused area into a private gallery.

‘This was a challenging space in which to create a gallery’ explains Standard principal and co-founder Jeffrey Allsbrook. ‘The shape is informed by the natural contours of the hill, creating an intimate and proportionate space in which the art is highlighted, not overshadowed or lost in the void.’

The private art gallery is built under an artificial landscape that is supported by a massive concrete structure reminiscent of a freeway overpass. The challenge of the project was to create a cohesive gallery within the leftover space between the concrete deck above and the sloping hillside below. The solution was to organize the gallery on two levels and to create a functional ceiling that unified the jumble of concrete beams and abrupt level changes above.

The entry to the gallery opens into a mezzanine gallery that overlooks the voluminous main gallery below. A wide stair leads down to a large north-facing window opening to distant views over the landscape. The undulating white beamed ceiling covers the existing concrete structure above, forming a smooth topography that defines the maximum ceiling heights. Lighting, mechanical and AV devices are slotted between the beams. A horizontal datum is established with rift sawn oak panelling in the lower gallery. The stairway and mezzanine floor are made in the same wood. As the ceiling rises, the panelling gives way to white walls. Smooth concrete floors complement the other materials. The gallery connects to the rest of the residence via an exterior staircase that climbs to the front yard. The owners of the Hillside Gallery plan to curate different rotating collections by various artists, in addition to exhibiting their own personal collection. This year, the gallery featured works by American abstract painter Caio Fonseca.

ARCHITECT: Standard, Los Angeles, California, www.standard-la.com. LOCATION: Santa Monica, California, USA. DESCRIPTION: private art gallery. AREA: 2,000 sq. ft. DATE: 2010.
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