Architectural Digest describes Marmol Radziner as a ‘single source shop’ that follows the ‘Master Builder’ traditions. Known for their thoughtful renovations and contemporary design styles, the firm procured the top position in the annual ‘Top 50 Firms in Business’ enlisted by the American Institute of Architects in 2019.
Founded in 1989 by architects Leo Marmol and Ron Radziner, Marmol Radziner is a design-build practice based in Los Angeles that provides everything from architectural designs, construction details, landscape designs, prefab, furniture, and fixtures. Mentioned below are a few of their notable projects.
1. Treepeople Center | Marmol Radziner
Beverly Hills, California
The conference center built for the TreePeople Center for Community Forestry draws its inspiration from the natural landscape of the Santa Monica mountains. The design was aimed at interweaving the inside with the outside with the use of glass that allowed transparency and visibility through the site. The orientation, use of materials, and the roof structure were planned to make the best use of the sun and the wind. In addition, other sustainability strategies such as utilizing reclaimed materials were adopted as a result of which the building is LEED Platinum certified.
2. Kaufmann House
Palm Springs, California
The Kaufmann house originally designed by architect Richard Neutra in 1946 was restored to its original form and glory by Marmol Radziner fifty years later. The rugged and sparsely inhabited landscape added to the sculptural nature of the monument, making it extremely important to be brought back to its original form, color, and texture while giving it a modern outlook. The restoration was done with the help of Julius Shulman’s photographs and archival materials, including Neutra’s drawings from UCLA’s research library. Marmol Radziner was awarded AIA’s National Honor Award in 2000 for the restoration project.
3. Experimental Ranch
Los Angeles, California
Designed by architect Cliff May – father of the California ranch-house movement, as his personal residence. The house was designed in an open-plan layout with movable partitions and cabinets, that were replaced with permanent ones by its subsequent owners. The restoration by Marmol Radziner did not intend to impose a contemporary design over the wooden structure with chest wood cabinetry, terrazzo flooring, wood shake roofing, and skylights. Instead, the integrity of the original structure with its exposed wood and rafters were preserved in order to study from the past rather than altering it.
4. Brooktree
Los Angeles, California
The form consists of three main volumes with large openings carved out of it that blurs the boundaries between the inside and the outside. The main residence is flanked on either side by smaller cement block structures. The minimal exterior finish of concrete and wooden siding along with the structural simplicity sits well with the oak canopy surrounding the property. The building is planned along the exterior edge maximizing the view of the backyard and the natural light into the building. Marmol Radziner was also involved in the landscape design for the project.
5. Accelerated School | Marmol Radziner
Los Angeles, California
The accelerated school is a four-story modular structure with a cafeteria and daycare. Complete with shaded courtyards and furnished terraces, it spreads over 12 educational campuses accommodating around 1100 students. The school has an iconic façade of translucent light-diffusing screen that curves around the corner of the site and acts as a safety barrier for the road. Exposed metal girders, braces, staircases, and services set the ambiance of a rather striking industrial building to the school.
6. Harvey House
Palm Springs, California
Originally built by architects Buff & Hensman for the actor Laurence Harvey in 1969, the house featured exposed post and beam construction with glass walls that ease the boundary between outdoor and indoor. The house is a vast garden surrounded by glass pavilions with a crucifix pool in the center. As part of the renovation process, the walls were knocked off and interiors redone with earthy finishes while the original skeleton of the building was maintained.
7. Jackson House
San Francisco, California
Standing on a steep hillside property, the Jackson house was originally designed by Hank Schubart and stood as a symbol of the Beaux-Arts period of San Francisco. The glass walls and the retractable skylight brings in the sky and the expansive valley. Marmol Radziner was involved in the restoration and the landscape design of the project while the interiors were done by Charles de Lisle. A third level was added to the two-story structure along with an exterior garden at the lower level.
8. Costume National
Los Angeles, California
Costume National, unlike most retail showrooms, manages to establish a connection with the street through its wall-length windows. The clean color palette with pearl grey in the exterior and pure white with stainless steel in the interior allows experimentations with lighting giving the building a new look every time. The simplicity of the façade and the white walls stands for the elegance and finesse of the Italian fashion house.
9. La Quinta
La Quinta, California
This elegant holiday home overlooking a golf course with the Jacinto mountain range in the background is truly a conversation with nature. Green courtyards with huge boulders and little desert shrubs do well with the light-colored material palette used in the interiors. But what makes the building stand out is the play of natural light within the building that makes it come alive with its ever-changing nature.
10. Mandeville Canyon | Marmol Radziner
Los Angeles, California
The two-storied structure sits in a tree-filled plot on the Santa Monica mountains. The glazed walls on the ground floor seamlessly integrate it in a landscape of oak and sycamore trees, while making the first floor look as though it is floating in the air. The color palette use complements the greenery outside and makes the building stand out. Marmol Radziner also engaged in the interiors and the landscape design of the project. In the interiors, metallic shades and dark colors help bring the green background to the forefront.
11. James Perse Malibu | Marmol Radziner
Malibu, California
The James Perse boutique is designed to resemble a simple beach house with oak cabinetry, teak flooring, and an exposed Douglas fir ceiling. The louvered doors extending the length of the storefront allows the integration of the interior and the exterior deck of the store while the mahogany louvers help manipulate the amount out natural light entering the building. Situated on the site of a timber warehouse, the boutique has a warm illuminated color palette in the interiors that make it welcoming with a dark-paneled exterior.
12. Schroeder Court
Truckee, California
Sitting on a mountain slope, the Schroeder Court residence was designed to maximize the mountain vistas filling the entire south façade with full-sized glass windows. The dark colors and material palette merges with the landscape making it a look as though the house simply grew out of the rocky hillside. The house consists of two volumes connected by a glass corridor. The masses are segregated vertically as well with stone on the ground floor and zinc paneling on the upper floor.
13. Sela Residence
Venice, California
The stark contrast between the interior and exterior is what generates interest in these two storied residences. The exterior is a stark concrete façade with the interiors clad in wood paneling with warm illumination. The use of glass and green courtyards generates a sense of lightness in the building while staying within the limits of the narrowness of the site. Sliding doors alongside courtyards and pools allow us to play with the scale of the space, integrating the indoors with the outdoor elements.
14. TBWA/Chiat/Day
San Francisco, California
The multi-storied brick office on the embarcadero is reminiscent of an old shipping warehouse. This was recreated through the informed metaphors of the ship in the form of the materials or forms that regenerated the shapes of ship hulls, shipping canisters, etc. Materials like plywood, cork, seagrass mats, fir planking, and steel cables were used for the purpose. The structure and services were exposed to add interest to the interiors.
15. Palm Springs Art Museum | Marmol Radziner
Palm Springs, California
Santa Fe Federal Savings and Loan building was restored to create a satellite exhibition space for the Palm Springs art museum. The building originally designed by E. Stewart William was declared Class I Historic Site in 2009 by the Palm Springs City Council and now hosts architecture and design exhibitions. The restoration was done with the help of original drawings and photographs by Julius Shulman.
