This company guesthouse is situated outside Tokyo overlooking the bay. The site, part of a natural preserve, is densely covered with pine trees. Living and entertaining spaces are arranged in an overlapping order, stepping down the slope from the chimney at the high point toward the ocean.

References to the sylvan context are key generative aspects of design. The intervals of both apertures and columns are established by a geometric progression echoing the natural order of the forest. Tree-like columns with branching struts support a large sky window, which allows glimpses of the leafy canopy above and permits the forest's dappled light to become that of the house.

Photos: Hiro Sakaguchi, A to Z Studios, Tokyo

33-35 Zoe Street
15,000 square feet for 5 units

A long, narrow concrete warehouse building with frontage on two parallel narrow streets in the South of Market (SOMA) district of San Francisco provided the starting point for this live-work loft development. The existing concrete building was upgraded to current seismic standards through addition of six inches of pneumatically applied concrete to the inside surface of the existing walls. A courtyard was cut into the center of the building to bring light and cross ventilation to all of the spaces, and an additional double-high story with mezzanines was added to the top of each end of the building. Steel seismic bracing frames the courtyard and carries the loads from roof decks above. The additions were framed with steel girders and engineered wood joists to continue the spatial rhythm of the existing building.

The project provides five units, each of which has its own garage and entry from the street, as well as a deck or patio facing the interior courtyard. The workspace for each unit is separated from the living area by a change in level, and double-high spaces create a feeling of connection between the levels. The street elevations are based on the existing concrete frame, with multi-pane windows in the pattern created by the existing openings. Toward the courtyard, full-height storefront framing provides uninterrupted walls of glass.

Palm trees planted in the courtyard echo the geometry of the seismic braces, and combine with a serpentine wall of expanded metal to provide a privacy screen between units.

Photos: J.D. Peterson

Located on a hillside with a view towards Mount Tamalpais, this craftsman house was originally built in the early twenties and had undergone numerous renovations. Our project consisted of returning the house to domestic use. A dysfunctional elevator that had been added to the front of the house was removed and replaced with a grand stair, enclosed in glass with a cedar sun screen. The new stair brings light deep into the center of the house and subtly divides the family areas of the house from the more formal rooms.
On both the interior and the exterior the renovations are designed to harmonize with the original character of the house, while opening up the interiors to the great views from the site.

Photos: J.D. Peterson