Johan Wijesinghe
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Rolling Hills Residence
Los AngelesAt Escher GuneWardena, I contribute to the structural and mechanical coordination of a residence in Rolling Hills, California, working alongside PAE, Nous, and Terra Motto. My contribution to design, computation, and regenerative strategies, where the architecture moves beyond minimizing harm to actively restoring and sustaining ecosystems.
This project reimagines the single-family home as an evolving exchange between site, climate, and material cycles, commissioned by a Japanese-British family committed to sustainable living. Rather than treating architecture as a fixed composition, the design embeds bioregional logic, resource renewability, and adaptive systems into its foundation. The house does not simply stand on the land—it participates in its regeneration.
This represents a shift from sustainability as a benchmark to regeneration as a practice, where architecture is defined not just by what it preserves, but by what it contributes. It positions the built environment as a long-term investment in ecological and social systems, transforming architecture into an active force in restoration.
The project redefines high-performance, regenerative living, transforming the single-family residence into a self-sustaining system that scales beyond the site. Designed for multi-generational living, the main house integrates mass timber and advanced building systems to align with the land’s natural topography, minimizing disruption while maximizing efficiency. Here, architecture is not a static object but a responsive framework, where material, energy, and environmental performance are designed to evolve over time.
Achieving Net Zero energy and water use, the project introduces a modular ecosystem of residential, work, and recreational spaces, including a guest house, horse stables, office spaces, a car workshop, and an ADU, all strategically embedded into the landscape. These components are not isolated structures but interconnected elements, forming a scalable prototype for regenerative design.
Working with Terra Motto, the project extends beyond architecture to landscape-driven resilience, integrating native species, wildlife corridors, and strategic plantings to restore local ecologies. This is not just about sustainability—it’s about creating long-term value through regenerative systems that enhance both environmental and economic viability. The result is a model for scalable, high-performance living, where design, fabrication, and ecological intelligence converge to drive the future of sustainable development.
Partners
Frank Escher, Ravi GuneWardena
Project Team
David Ramis, Harrison White, Johan Wijesinghe
Design Consultant:
Structural Engineering: Nous
MEP: PAE
Landscape: Terra Motto
Acoustic Consulting: ARUP