The Case Study Program cropped up relatively recently on this website. In a discussion of its influence on a newly built home in Cupertino, California, designed by Wiliam Leddy which channelled the original Case Study House to maximise use of space to produce a more energy efficient home.
With the Case Study Apartments No. 1, designed by architect Al Beadle, we turn to the real deal.
As mentioned in the earlier article, the Case Study House Program comprised a series of experiments in residential architecture sponsored by Arts & Architecture aimed at producing inexpensive and efficient model homes that could inject a modernist impulse into the residential housing boom.
The result was a series of homes that are integral to the mid-century style.
This apartment block, comprising three one-bed units, was the only Case Study project that was built in Arizona. Yet, it stands as one of the most clear and wide-ranging manifestations of the program’s stated vision.
It was intended as a direct challenge to so-called “dingbat” apartments, formulaic apartment buildings which proliferated in United States at the time. Instead, the Case Study Apartment ensured good design and good materials.
As it still stands, looking as stunning as ever, it makes a clear break with the idea that good architecture is an impractical luxury.
