Marmol Radziner founded 1989 is a Los Angeles-based design-build practice founded and led by architects Leo Marmol, FAIA and Ron Radziner, FAIA. The firm offers a full range of design services, including architectural design, programming, master planning, historic restoration, landscape design, interior design, and furniture design. Marmol Radziner specializes in residential, restoration, multifamily, commercial, retail, hospitality, educational, and community projects.
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Following the “master builder” tradition, Marmol Radziner integrates design services with a variety of construction capabilities. The firm houses a wide range of in-house skills, including architects, metal fabricators, carpenters, cabinet-makers and construction crew. With Marmol Radziner Shops the firm frequently designs and fabricates original furnishings specific to each project through its in-house cabinet and metal shops. In addition, the firm also designs and produces several Marmol Radziner furniture available for custom order. The firm is also licensed to reproduce R.M. Schindler’s line of furnishings designed for his seminal 1921-22 Kings Road Schindler House in West Hollywood.
About Leo Marmol and Ron Radziner
As Managing Principal, Leo has extensive experience running a variety of residential projects, including modern prefabricated homes and historic restorations, as well as public and community-based urban projects.
Active in his profession, Leo lectures widely on the topics of architecture, sustainability, and restoration, and participates in conferences, symposia, and panel discussions. He has also organized numerous architectural tours in Southern California to highlight the region’s wealth of mid-century Modernist landmarks.
Leo Marmol received his Bachelor of Architecture with a Minor in Philosophy from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California, in 1987. Leo was elected in 2007 to the distinguished College of the Fellows of the American Institute of Architects. In 2009, he was inducted into the Interior Design Hall of Fame.
Ron leads the design of every project, developing solutions that provide a unique architectural identity and forge strong connections between interior and exterior spaces. In his role as Design Principal, he also builds partnerships with organizations and individuals dedicated to improving the community.
Ron speaks at universities and conferences nationwide as a leader in innovative architecture, interiors, and landscape design. He serves on the Board of Trustees of Brentwood School in Los Angeles, California.
Ron received his Master of Architecture in 1986 at the University of Colorado and his Bachelor of Science in 1984 at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California. In 2007, he was elevated to the prestigiousCollege of the Fellows of the American Institute of Architects. Ron was honored as an inductee of the Interior Design Hall of Fame in 2009.
The begining of Marmol Radziner
The story of how they got here from there is a familiar one: Two young idealists meet at school (California Polytechnic at San Luis Obispo), toil at separate firms, and then join forces in 1989. But there the script veers off into the unfamiliar, unglamorous territory of design/build. According to Marmol and Radziner, their choice was obvious. “We realized the loss of control we had from not building our own projects,” says Marmol, who worked on construction sites in the San Francisco Bay area as a teenager. “Design/build is a historic process,” adds L.A. native Radziner. “Before the early 1900s, the two disciplines used to be more intertwined. We’re going back to the old style.” So Marmol obtained his contractor’s license, and the pair amassed a portfolio of small remodels and additions. They took care to market themselves as architects who could also build, so potential clients wouldn’t confuse them with the “builder offering design services” model that’s more typical of design/build.
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Backgroung & Realizations: the projects
Residencial
lilac drive residence
Restoration
kaufmann house
Commercial
james perse malibu
Community
accelerated school
Interior design
experimental ranch
summitridge residence
moreno residence
The Most Iconic
Projects
Marmol Radziner’s residential projects include homes for Tom Ford, former creative director of Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, actors Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, and musicians Flea and Anthony Kiedis. Other featured custom site built homes include the Vienna Way Residence and Altamira Residence (feature article in Architectural Digest).
The firm is a leader in the restoration of homes originally designed by legendary architects like Richard Neutra, R.M. Schindler, Cliff May, and John Lautner. Marmol Radziner completed two Neutra house restorations in 2000, the Lew and the Brown House, as well as the Elliot House restoration, originally designed by R.M. Schindler in 1930. The firm recently restored two Cliff May houses and John Lautner’s Garcia House. Marmol Radziner is currently contributing pro bono restoration work at the Richard Neutra VDL Studio and Residences.
Vienna Way residence
Designed for a single family, the Vienna Way residence is located in sunny Venice, California. Floor to ceiling glazing all around the structure seamlessly integrates the home with connected outdoor living spaces and the surrounding native California landscape. The second-story expanse of glass offers views of the green kitchen roof and tree tops below.
Hawkesbury residence
At the base of the wanaka valley, the ‘hawkesbury residence’ by los angeles-based marmol radziner overlooks the rolling farmland of mt barker, new zealand. oriented with an elongated elevation towards the north, the dwelling is protected by a deep roof eave to block the strong sun of the southern hemisphere while framing the distant alpine peaks. approaching the homestead,the structure is encompassed by and recedes into the barren hillside beyond. the linear configuration and shallow footprint allows sweeping mountain views from all of the interior rooms which are framed by the roofline and cedar deck.
Lautner‘s Garcia Residence
In order to maintain the distinguishing features – the memorable curved roof over the living spaces, colored glass panels, and v-shaped supports that anchor the home into its green hillside site – the architects performed in-depth research, which took several months. for example, to find the closest match to the original terrazzo marble no longer mined, lava rock was procured to renew chimney in the living room and the pantry area. the bedrooms saw the most change, as their fixtures and designs have been updated to accommodate a contemporary lifestyle, without compromising the original intention of the space.
Interesting Fact about L. Marmol
Marmol is committed to creative solutions to community challenges and is a Board Member of Street Poets, which teaches poetry to imprisoned youth.
Collaborations
Marmol Radziner is a collaboration between Ron Radziner, Design Principal, and Leo Marmol, Managing Principal. They also have three senior associates, Stephanie Hobbs, Chris Shanley, Nicole Starr; and four associates, Jimmy Dunne, Matt Jackson, Erika Montes, and Brad Williams. Our staff includes general contractors, cabinet-makers, metal fabricators, and site supervisors, many of whom are also architects.
Special projects
The firm’s public and community-based projects include a Pre-K-12 campus for The Accelerated School of Los Angeles, a Conference Center for TreePeople’s Center for Community Forestry (recently received a LABD Award), offices for the ad agency TBWA\Chiat\Day in San Francisco, Special Needs Housing for Santos Plaza, Los Angeles, and boutiques for fashion clients Costume National, Maxfield, Chan Luu, Vince, and James Perse.
The Creator’s Choice
The firm’s desire to address sustainable building issues led to the launch of a prefab division, Marmol Radziner Prefab in 2005. Marmol Radziner Prefab’s work has been featured in Dwell, The Los Angeles Times, and GQ and has been awarded design honors for both architectural and industrial design, including an International Design Excellence Award (IDEA), sponsored by BusinessWeek. In 2009, the firm debuted Marmol Radziner Jewelry, a handmade collection for men and women produced in the firm’s metal shop from commercial-grade bronze. Today, Marmol Radziner employs over 65 architects, landscape and interior designers, and a construction crew. The firm is regularly featured in publications like New York Times Magazine, Architectural Digest, Architectural Record, Dwell, and Wallpaper.
Also, Marmol Radziner has received numerous awards. The firm was named the American Institute of Architects California Council’s 2004 Firm of the Year. The firm was also awarded the American Institute of Architects National Honor Award in 2000, recognizing their restoration of the Kaufmann Desert House in Palm Springs, originally designed by Richard Neutra in 1946. In 2007, both Leo Marmol and Ron Radziner were elevated to the College of the Fellows of the American Institute of Architects. In 2009, Interior Design Magazine inducted them into the magazine’s Hall of Fame and Architectural Digest named Marmol Radziner one of its AD100 in 2010.
Book:
Marmol Radziner + Associates: Between Architecture and Construction
Top Projects Gallery
