A new residential project in Monterey Park, near Los Angeles, is rethinking how zoning regulations shape architecture. Designed by Rebuild Collective and 1+1+ Architects, the Wandering Courtyard House transforms traditional zoning setbacks into an integral design feature rather than leftover space.
Completed in August 2025 after 30 months of construction, the residence sits on a 0.15-acre lot about seven miles east of downtown Los Angeles. Instead of treating the required setback areas—spaces between the building and property line—as unused margins, the architects reimagined them as outdoor living rooms, courtyards, and social spaces.
Turning Zoning Constraints into Design Opportunities
The house was designed by De Peter Yi, founder of Rebuild Collective and assistant professor of architecture at the University of Cincinnati, in collaboration with Laura Marie Peterson, founder of 1+1+ Architects based in Detroit.
Instead of designing inward from the property boundaries—as is common with zoning setbacks—Yi designed outward, shaping the peripheral spaces around the home. The result is a residence with as many outdoor rooms as indoor spaces, blurring the boundary between architecture and landscape.
The project replaced a 1956 house that previously occupied the site, though the original kidney-shaped swimming pool was preserved and integrated into the new design.
A Personal Project for an Artist Couple
The Wandering Courtyard House Los Angeles project was deeply personal for Yi. The residence was built as a retirement home for his uncle and aunt—first-generation Chinese immigrant artists Yi Kai and Jian Zheng.
Inside the home, Yi Kai’s paintings line the walls, while artistic interventions appear throughout the architecture. A distinctive red-painted column supporting the second-floor deck reflects the artist’s influence within the design.
Floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors connect the kitchen and living areas directly to the pool deck, reinforcing the house’s emphasis on indoor-outdoor living.
Architecture Shaped by the Setback
In many Los Angeles neighborhoods, zoning rules require a buffer between homes and property lines. Approximately 78% of residential land in the city is zoned for single-family homes, often producing houses isolated on their lots.
Rather than treating these setback zones as unused strips of grass or storage areas, the architects turned them into functional courtyards and gathering spaces:
- East Side Yard: An indoor and outdoor kitchen share a single wall connected by a casement window.
- West Side Yard: A quiet courtyard features stepped white stucco walls and a mature prickly pear cactus.
- Rear Yard: A dramatic curving deck wraps around the pool, creating layered outdoor spaces.
The Curving Teak Deck and Courtyard Landscape
A defining element of the project is an 80-foot-long curved teak deck on the second floor. The deck sweeps around the preserved pool and sits partially within the permitted zoning setback.
This structure adds:
- 650 square feet of shaded outdoor space at ground level
- 450 square feet of open balcony above
The deck effectively turns the backyard into a multi-level courtyard environment, reinforcing the architects’ concept of designing within the code rather than against it.
Framing the Los Angeles Skyline
From the upper deck, partial-height stucco walls frame views of the surrounding landscape through rectangular openings.
These frames create distinct views toward:
- The San Gabriel Mountains to the east
- Downtown Los Angeles to the west
Yi compares the effect to the contemplative sky-framing installations of James Turrell, known for his immersive light and space artworks called Skyspaces. The architectural openings transform everyday sky views into framed visual experiences, shifting throughout the day as light moves across the structure.
Testing Ideas About Housing and Zoning Reform
The house also reflects Yi’s broader research into housing and zoning reform. His 2023 SOM Foundation Research Prize project, developed with Gabriel Cuéllar, explored how zoning reforms could enable new forms of collective housing.
The research relates to California Senate Bill 9, which allows single-family lots to be split and redeveloped with up to four housing units.
Yi’s concept—called “Courtyard Block”—imagines neighboring properties coordinating redevelopment to transform backyards and setbacks into shared courtyard systems across an entire block.
The Wandering Courtyard House acts as a single-lot proof of concept, demonstrating how even strict zoning regulations can produce more communal and dynamic architectural spaces.
Rethinking the Future of Single-Family Housing
By turning zoning setbacks into active spaces, the Wandering Courtyard House Los Angeles challenges the traditional model of isolated suburban housing.
Rather than separating neighbors and leaving edges unused, the project demonstrates how design innovation within existing zoning codes can produce richer outdoor environments, encourage social interaction, and reshape the spatial logic of single-family neighborhoods.
