Simply Perfect

Architect Paul McClean strongly advocates simplicity and openness that is associated with surrounding landscapes, and places an emphasis on texture and natural materials

How did you get into architecture?

As a young boy, I enjoyed drawing houses all day long. I was fascinated from an early age with the work of Frank Lloyd Wright through books at our local library, and later discovered the case study houses here in Los Angeles. The works of Schindler and Neutra also influenced me.

What kind of projects are your forte?

I was always attracted to modernism as it developed in southern California. The uniquely benign climate allows you to live in a way that is difficult to achieve in other places, and the year round mild climate is ideal for blending indoor and outdoor living. This has helped us in developing structures that are light and transparent in the hope of blurring the boundary between indoors and the landscape beyond. We have worked on large and complicated projects. But, we still strive to hold on to those original concepts and continue to develop them in new ways.