garden

The outdoor dining area is connected to the new kitchen through a fine frame double glazed sliding door by Sieger Systems. This was one of the more expensive features of the renovation—the doors and triple-glazed windows throughout cost just over $27K in total—but was essential to achieve the connection the client was looking for. The slatted screen was another important feature. “It creates a backdrop for the dining area that makes the terrace feel more like an outdoor room that is separate from the rest of the garden,” explains architect Julia Hamson.

The residence’s private areas are located across the courtyard from the living spaces.

West Facade

The laminated pine pavilion constitutes PPAA's first use of wood in a more traditional column and beam construction.

Built to operate completely off-grid, the house relies primarily on solar cells for energy.

The new addition was scaled to fit the backyard and provide easy access to the yard. Large windows access that South-facing natural light. The Boral siding is painted black “to create a handsome and strong visual foundation that breaks up the four stories,” say the architects, and sleek metal railings don’t block the view out the windows.

Punctuated by a central courtyard, the single-story residence was designed as a grid of 25-foot squares. Fisher selected corrugated Cor-ten steel for the facade and roof, all of which has since 'aged' to create a rich, earthy color that blends into the 19-plus acre property.

Tasked with renovating a 1950s ranch in Northern California, Ogawa Fisher Architects revived an existing Japanese garden at the center of the home as a central organizing element. Low-slung, wide decks (inspired by the Japanese “engawa,” or elevated walkway) and deep roof soffits expand the living spaces, frame views, and blur the boundaries between inside and outside. The garden is the second of three courtyards that orients the various wings of the home from front to back, creating a vast sense of openness while also maintaining privacy from other areas of the house and the street.

More than 60 plant species were used in the layered design.

The roof was extended over an outdoor patio to give it cover and ensure that it’s a comfortable space on both hot, sunny days, and in the rainy spring, or fall.