The Elemental House is a resilient and climate-responsive housing prototype for Los Angeles, built from concrete masonry units to provide fire resistance and passive sustainability. Through thermal mass, solar orientation, and natural ventilation, the home stays cool without mechanical systems—while texture, shadow, and color elevate CMU into something unexpectedly beautiful.

By maximizing density through strategies such as exterior stairs, lot subdivisions, and efficient square footage allocations, the project offers a replicable model for increasing housing supply on small urban sites. It’s a thoughtful response to Los Angeles’s housing crisis—prioritizing affordability and fire resilience while preserving privacy and generous access to outdoor space.