![](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2009/08/bricault-house2-26.jpg)
Brooks Avenue House by Bricault Design
Canadian architects Bricault Design have completed a plant-covered extension to a house in Venice, Los Angeles.
![brooks-avenue-house-by-bricault-design-top.jpg](http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2009/08/brooks-avenue-house-by-bricault-design-top.jpg)
Large glass doors on the ground floor pivot open onto the courtyard.
![brooks-avenue-house-by-bricault-design17.jpg](http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2009/08/brooks-avenue-house-by-bricault-design17.jpg)
Air is drawn inside and up a sculptural staircase to an opening in the roof, cooling the building.
![brooks-avenue-house-by-bricault-design3.jpg](http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2009/08/brooks-avenue-house-by-bricault-design3.jpg)
The building is clad with cedar batons and the new bedroom is covered in plants, including vegetables and indigenous shrubs.
![brooks-avenue-house-by-bricault-design1.jpg](http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2009/08/brooks-avenue-house-by-bricault-design1.jpg)
Here's some more information from Bricault Design:
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Brooks Avenue House
The clients for this project needed more space to accommodate the needs of a growing family, but they were reluctant to leave their location in Venice - one of the few walkable neighborhoods in Los Angeles.
![brooks-avenue-house-by-bricault-design4.jpg](http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2009/08/brooks-avenue-house-by-bricault-design4.jpg)
The solution was to maintain and remodel their existing 2000 square foot home, while creating a 1700 square foot addition and courtyard on the rear lane side.
![brooks-avenue-house-by-bricault-design14.jpg](http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2009/08/brooks-avenue-house-by-bricault-design14.jpg)
With an ideal climate for much of the year, a primary design driver was to create a seamless connection between inside and outside, while eliminating the need for air conditioning.
![brooks-avenue-house-by-bricault-design16.jpg](http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2009/08/brooks-avenue-house-by-bricault-design16.jpg)
To this end, a central sculptural staircase links the ground floor with the rooftop deck, while doubling as a chimney to draw cooling breezes through the house.
![brooks-avenue-house-by-bricault-design15.jpg](http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2009/08/brooks-avenue-house-by-bricault-design15.jpg)
On the main floor, a sequence of pivoting doors opens the house to the courtyard, while on the second floor, windows fold back and full-height exterior panels slide into walls.
![brooks-avenue-house-by-bricault-design16.jpg](http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2009/08/brooks-avenue-house-by-bricault-design16.jpg)
A system of cedar battens serve as a shading device along much of the addition.
![brooks-avenue-house-by-bricault-design18.jpg](http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2009/08/brooks-avenue-house-by-bricault-design18.jpg)
The volume of the new master bedroom extends out from the second story, creating a carport below.
![brooks-avenue-house-by-bricault-design9.jpg](http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2009/08/brooks-avenue-house-by-bricault-design9.jpg)
Its exterior is clad with a living wall system on three sides, visually tying together the courtyard greenery with the planted roof.
![brooks-avenue-house-by-bricault-design10.jpg](http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2009/08/brooks-avenue-house-by-bricault-design10.jpg)
All landscaping is fed with a combination of captured rainwater and recycled domestic grey water.
![brooks-avenue-house-by-bricault-design12.jpg](http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2009/08/brooks-avenue-house-by-bricault-design12.jpg)
The roof’s softscape is divided between a highly productive vegetable garden and indigenous, low-maintenance grasses and shrubs.
![brooks-avenue-house-by-bricault-design21.jpg](http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2009/08/brooks-avenue-house-by-bricault-design21.jpg)
The roof also supports a solar panel array that is sufficient to meet household needs.
![brooks-avenue-house-by-bricault-design22.gif](http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2009/08/brooks-avenue-house-by-bricault-design22.gif)
The house features a high-efficiency combination boiler, which supplies both radiant in-floor heating and domestic hot water.
![brooks-avenue-house-by-bricault-design23.gif](http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2009/08/brooks-avenue-house-by-bricault-design23.gif)
A hot water recirculation loop makes hot water available “on demand,” while reducing consumption.
![brooks-avenue-5467house-by.gif](http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2009/08/brooks-avenue-5467house-by.gif)
Other features include low-flush toilets and non-toxic, low-VOC finishes, which are used throughout the house.
![brooks-avenue-house-by-bric.gif](http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2009/08/brooks-avenue-house-by-bric.gif)
green finishes and fixtures:
cork-rubber flooring
low VOC paint
formaldehyde-free cabinetry
LED lighting