Project in Depth – John Lautner's Silvertop House, Living Room Door

Realization Design was invited to participate in the multiyear restoration/update of this iconic residence in Los Angeles. The project was ultimately recognized in Los Angeles Conservancy's 2018 Preservation Awards with general contractor Nate Wasik NWGC, Inc. and Barbara Bestor Architecture.

Silvertop House has many ingenious motorized systems moving walls of brick and glass as well as automated shutters and shades. RzaD was charged with repair and preservation of the original systems where practical and invisibly updating obsolete mechanisms where necessary. With NWGC, Rzad also designed and fabricated some completely new features, including a 1600-pound glass wall that silently disappears into the primary bathroom floor.

The most challenging mechanical element in the project was the large, curved, glass living room patio door. Tucked very tightly under the massive arched concrete ceiling, the door travels in a curved, upward-slopping path between decorative concrete ornaments with highly tight clearance. The original 1960s design had a minimalist but heavy steel frame carrying 400 pounds of glass in the span between slim vertical elements. The 12'x 12' door originally rode on half nuts along a 24' flexible, threaded shaft, itself supported in a curved, inclined channel across the ceiling. A motor in the basement drove the shaft through a system of gearboxes and a flexible shaft. After almost 50 years, this unique system had become very slow and noisy and finally failed early in the project.

Presented with a blank sheet, the revised door was to be fast, quiet, and visually identical to the original. The unique steel cladding of the vertical frame elements was preserved while replacing the actual frame with lightweight aluminum. The five glass panels are suspended directly on a rolling carriage riding between curved, inclined rails attached to the ceiling along the original path between the ornaments. The door is driven by a compact servo motor and planetary gearbox using an industrial roller chain in a curved rack and pinion configuration. The resulting drive package is so compact it is hidden between ornaments on the exterior.

LINKS:
Silvertop on Curbed LA

Silvertop on Wall Street Journal

2018 Preservation Awards by Los Angeles Conservancy