Home Tours Q&A with architects, Erla Dögg Ingjaldsdóttir, Assoc. AIA & Tryggvi Thorsteinsson, Assoc. AIA

Last Updated: April 20, 2011

Home Tours Q&A: Erla Dögg Ingjaldsdóttir, Assoc. AIA & Tryggvi Thorsteinsson, Assoc. AIA of the firm Minarc

This home is featured in our Spring 2011 Home Tour, "Venice=/SaMo (Venice is not Santa Monica)," taking place May 15th from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

AIA|Los Angeles got in touch with our Spring 2011 Home Tours architects, Erla Dögg Ingjaldsdóttir, Assoc. AIA & Tryggvi Thorsteinsson, Assoc. AIA, designers of the Superb-a House in Venice Beach. In this edition, our two natives of Iceland answer questions regarding the home's sustainability, indoors and outdoors space and the idea of prefabricated homes. Read on to find out more.

How did the environment where the home was built influence the design? We practice sustainable architecture by letting the natural environment guide all aspects of the design, embracing the power of wind, sun and water.

If a building's orientation, massing, window area/shading, insulation arrangement, and air tightness are not properly optimized, no amount of latest mechanical systems and or sustainable materials can make the building a "true low-energy" building.

What is your favorite feature of the home?

The blurring line between indoors and out through the use of large operable doors, abundant natural light, outdoor living spaces and frame views.

As a designer, how much of your personal touch do you put in each building you design? How do you move on from one project to the next?

We come from an island (Iceland) where resources are scarce - everything is valued, used, re-used and pre-used. We want our work to represent how we choose to live in this world: maximize materials, minimize waste.   All of our projects share an emphasis of designing environmentally and economically sensitive structures guided by the natural environment.

From a design point of you, can you discuss the differences between Venice and Santa Monica?

We do not categories between cities and for us it does not matter which city or country the project is in. The design is influenced by its locations and its environment.

Can you please discuss the concept behind a unique "prefabricated" design? The approach of mnmMOD is to manufacture custom modern homes using only prefabricated elements.  The cost effectiveness and affordability lies in limiting the number of assembled elements and taking the custom on-site fabrication out of the hands of the builder and into the hands of specific fabricators. The builder merely assembles the homes, like an automobile manufacturer, as elements are fabricated by the most cost-effective fabricators in the field, thus continuously retaining the lowest prices with highest quality.

About Minarc

Minarc is an award-winning Santa Monica based design studio that specializes in modern, innovative and sustainable architecture and design. Principals, Erla Dögg Ingjaldsdóttir, Assoc. AIA and IIDA & Tryggvi Thorsteinsson, Assoc. AIA and IIDA, hail from Iceland and take inspiration from the pure, austere beauty of their home country.

Minarc's design philosophy includes innovative architectural solutions, building techniques, unique use of materials, and blurring the line between indoors and outdoors through the use of abundant natural light, outdoor living spaces and framed views of nature.

"We believe in minimal and playful designs which bring out the elemental beauty in the materials."

• To purchase tickets for the May 15th AIA|LA Home Tour please click here.

• For more information on the Home Tours, "Venice=/SaMo: Venice is not Santa Monica," visit the webpage.

To view photographs of all the homes on the tour, please visit the galleries