The design of Cristóbal Amunátegui, assistant professor of architecture, and his office, Amunátegui Valdés, is one of several featured in the recent launch of the Accessory Dwelling Unit Standard Plan Program, an initiative organized by Mayor Eric Garcetti’s office in collaboration with the city’s department of building and safety.
The new program features more than a dozen designs by a range of architectural studios, in an effort to simplify the construction of small-scale, standalone residences — in the midst of a housing crisis. By providing designs that have been preapproved by the city for construction, weeks can be shaved off the permitting process, while also injecting high design into this critical form of housing stock.
Amunátegui Valdés’ design features a simple geometric structure that incorporates an “activated rooftop,” creating an additional social area and maximizing outdoor space.
Amunátegui’s work in architectural history centers on the history of 18th- and 19th-century European architecture, with a focus on buildings produced in France between the Second Empire and the early Third Republic. In his research, he examines the relationship of buildings, crowds and their corresponding figures of investment and association. His work seeks architecture’s intersections with the visual arts, literature, science and technology, inscribing buildings in the wider 19th-century pursuit of absolutes. Articles about his research as well as on contemporary architectural issues have appeared in journals and essay collections in the United States, Latin America and Europe. In 2011 Amunátegui co-founded Amunátegui Valdés, which comprises the architectural work he and Alejandro Valdes have developed since 2000.