Search

KAA Design and the Monaco Drive Gym

By

Share

An Exercise in Ingenuity KAA Design flexed its architectural muscle designing the Monaco Drive Gym, with an unexpected twist at a Los Angeles residential estate

In architectural design, it is best to sweat the details. This is precisely the approach that prominent L.A. practice KAA Design took to create this substantial—and substantially stylish—residential spa and gym.

Faced with the hillside site’s cavernous underside, KAA Design’s Grant Kirkpatrick (founding principal), Patti Baker (principal), Vaishali Makim and Jennifer Wu devised an ingenious architectural solution: situate the 5,000-square-foot facility (including the outdoor covered space) underneath an existing cantilevered tennis court for what Baker calls “an unexpected whimsical moment.”

Others might call it as a serious power move on the part of KAA Design. Certainly the AIA thought so, recognizing the South Bay space with its 2013 Honor Award for Excellence in Design. 

Constructed entirely independent of the existing concrete structure, the spa, which includes exercise facilities, an Olympic lap pool, steam room, spa baths and lounge, is private, tucked into the hillside and open up to the large gym space. This central volume opens via a floor to ceiling frameless operable glass wall to the lap pool and then to the arroyo and terraced garden space beyond.

Because this feature separates but does not obstruct, the pool, in a state of repose, offers a contemplative reflecting pond effect. The sheaths of white plaster forming the ceiling gently bows upward, appealing to the light and reaching to the gardens. The result both exposes and cocoons.

“Our vision was to create a place to renew and relax,” says Baker. “There’s a certain sense of transparency seen and felt throughout the gym. The frameless glass doors create a seamless connection with the surrounding nature, while the roof shape pulls natural ravine into the space.”

In doing so, KAA Design brought modernist thought to a typically utilitarian space, forming a fitness facility for now. Their version is functional, as is customary, but highly sensitive and attuned to landscape and lifestyle, melding all attributes in an artful way that is not.

The clean effortlessness that permeates the space is illuminated by a simple but textured palette of Travertine, custom stainless steel hardware and details, and reclaimed teak, striking a tone that is precisely right for the intention behind it.

“The open plan allows for an abundance of natural sunlight to enter the gym and spa,” explains Grant Kirkpatrick, founding partner of KAA Design. “Pairing this with natural and man-made structural materials created something unique. Incorporating different types of wood brought warmth and elements of nature into the area.”

Not only is the Monaco Drive gym and spa a perfectly shaped space, it’s one with a strategy. Smart looking, it is elegantly sparse but not severe, an inviting place to be and to move. And, in conjunction with its components and contemporary thinking, it puts more weight on the importance of designing a well-rounded fitness facility at home. After all, the more appealing the space, the more motivation one has to use it. kaadesigngroup.com

Photographs: courtesy of Farshid Assassi

RELATED TAGS

KRAK. Architects’ Conceptual House Seamlessly Integrated into Crete’s Mythic Surroundings

Casa Katana, a stunning residential design by Greece-based KRAK. Architects, is making waves in the architectural world. Situated in the mythic surrounds of Crete, the subterranean dwelling is an integration of the terrain, creating minimal visual disturbance and preserving the natural beauty of the site, defying conventional description and drawing inspiration from the timeless principles of minimalism and attention to detail.
  • March 22, 2023
  • Jenn Thornton

Inside David Chipperfield’s Careful Restoration of Berlin’s Iconic Neue Nationalgalerie

David Chipperfield Architects has completed the six-year refurbishment of the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, a temple of modernity and one of the last works by German-American architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Completed in 1968, the building had been unattended for 50 years and required a present-day architect to restore it with great skill.
  • March 22, 2023
  • Jenn Thornton

The Intersection of Modernism & Wabi-Sabi: John Lum’s Unique Redesign

John Lum Architecture faced a significant challenge when tasked with the complete redesign of a midcentury modern-style home in San Francisco's Golden Gate Heights. The team completely reimagined the space, incorporating Japanese aesthetics and midcentury architecture to create a cohesive design that reflected the owner's eclectic taste.
  • March 8, 2023
  • Karine Monié

Award-Winning Home in the Scottish Highlands by Brown & Brown Architects

Brown & Brown Architects have successfully merged traditional Scottish architecture with modern design, resulting in a spectacular family home in the Cairngorms National Park in Scotland. The prize-winning Lower Tullochgrue project features a large modern extension built alongside a refurbished historic dwelling.
  • March 8, 2023
  • Jenn Thornton

Medium Plenty: The Transformation of a 1920s Spanish Revival Home

A family of four in Northern California has given their 1920s-era Spanish Revival home a new lease of life with a renovation that prioritizes family and fun. Regan Baker Design, Medium Plenty, and Terremoto all contributed to the project, which aimed to reflect the owners' eclectic interests and personalities while also maximizing the potential of the location.
  • March 8, 2023
  • Karine Monié

Sterling-Huddleson Architecture’s the Edge Residence in Pebble Beach

The Edge, a stunning contemporary home located in the picturesque community of Pebble Beach, California, is a masterful creation by Sterling-Huddleson Architecture. The result is a breathtaking residence that seamlessly blends advanced building technology and timeless contemporary design.
  • February 23, 2023
  • Jenn Thornton
Sign Up for DIGS Newsletters