Residential

Shimmering blue tile; the cantilever of concrete; a vitrine between domestic interior and city street. This existing hillside home is punctuated by the addition of a contemporary front porch. Floating concrete steps lead to the cantilevered cast-in-place concrete porch, hovering above a new waterfall and tiled reflecting pool. The pool, lined with artisan ceramic tile in shimmering shades of blue, frames the threshold from street to interior. Beyond the entry vestibule, an automatic sliding translucent door slowly opens to reveal panoramic views of the city below. Awards: 2010 AIA, California Council, Merit Award for Small Projects, 2009 Residential Architect Design Awards, Grand Award for Architectural Design Detail.

PREVNEXT This interior renovation of a 4500 square foot full floor unit provides modern living for a client with an extensive contemporart art collection. Located in the Russian Hill district, the home commands a 360-degree view of San Francisco. The existing scale and proportion of the enfilade plan, as well as the restrained plaster detailing, was restored in a palate of whites. The rooms were complimented and by modern interventions and furnishings updating the environment with the programmatic needs of contemporary living. We maintained the crispness of the existing interior walls for exhibiting works of art, offset by the profound perimeter of 40 windows. Renovation to the kitchen, office, baths, master suite are designed as furniture-objectified partitions in woods, glass and steel.

Standing on a steep hill looking out over San Francisco, the site’s dramatic views inspired the form and organization of this single-family home. The closed, panel-covered street façade contrasts the glass-walled openness of the back of the house. Elegant details abound—the pre-finished bakalized wood composite panel system is perforated where it runs over windows, while the oversized sliding glass panels disappear into pockets in the exterior walls. Stone flooring seamlessly extends from the house’s interior onto the large terrace, forming an uninterrupted living space that appears to hover above the city.

To increase spaciousness within the limited volume of this modest house, Jensen & Macy Architects relocated the stairs to the perimeter of the house and removed all the main floor walls to create a continuous living, dining, and kitchen space. Additionally, they inserted a row of French doors opening onto a formerly neflected sideyard and redirected entry through this newly created garden-patio. New large windows capture views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Palace of Fine Arts. To the south, carefully designed openings bring in warm light while still maintaining privacy for this urban home.

A plinth and a pavilion. Nestled into the hillside, the long, solid plinth contains the private rooms of the house. Atop this plinth sits a transparent living and dining pavilion that opens up completely for access to the outdoor decks, pool patio and expansive views to Mount Tamalpais and the bay. An elegant structural solution allows the views to be uninterrupted by perimeter sheer walls. The majority of the site is left undeveloped with its forest of native oaks intact. Awards: International Design Awards 2013 Honorable Mention Press Hauser, August 2014 Wallpaper*, April 2014 Location Larkspur, CA