California 'Coconut House' McMansion Wins AIA Award

"To some, it's the home of the future: an intriguing two-story jewel box with an atrium delivering sparkling light to glass-walled rooms, ecologically sensitive and built on a challenging urban lot just 25 feet wide. To neighbors and passersby, however, the house only prompts questions: What is it? Miniature factory? Bomb shelter? Goth barn? Approach the structure on foot, they say, and what at first seems inventive and artfully minimalist begins to feel bigger, bolder, almost confrontational."

The Mar Vista neighborhood was developed in the 1940s to offer small, low-cost housing for soldiers returning from war. However, some new large houses, including the American Institute of Architects award-winner, have made long-time residents uncomfortable about a lack of privacy. "You want to be able to be comfortable in your backyard without feeling like someone's always watching you," said one neighbor. "Sure, everyone wants to take advantage of views, but when you go three stories, it puts a damper on everyone."