This house, located in San Francisco, California. provides a surprising integration of old and new elements, of competing urban forces, brings the remodeled warehouse alive.


Three stories of interlocked spaces have distinct personalities and functions: office, main living area, and penthouse. The rigidity of the original concrete structure is broken down in a subtle interplay of light, surfaces, levels, and indoor and outdoor spaces—making the urban living experience as richly textured as the city itself.

The second floor is the main living space for the young owners and their children. Its focus: a new courtyard, cut out from the existing floor plate that connects the building to the new penthouse above and to the sky.



This vertical section offers multiple layers of transparency and views from one floor to the next, thus interweaving the inside and outside spaces with a play of light and dark.  All the new elements in the living space—kitchen, bathroom, and storage—are treated as eight-foot-tall cabinetry, floating within the existing volume.





The airy third-floor penthouse addition is the centerpiece of the design. The geometry of this sculptural object is a deliberate contrast to the orthogonal grid of the existing concrete structure.  Reminiscent of rooftop staircase enclosures on old San Francisco warehouses, the penthouse adds natural form to the urban landscape—like a grasshopper settled lightly on the building surface.

From all vantage points at the rooftop level, the owners enjoy breathtaking views of the city skyline.  The penthouse living area includes the master bedroom and bathroom as one free-flowing space. It wraps around the courtyard, interweaving the upstairs and downstairs levels. Clear glass panes—again a requirement of the owners—offer no visual privacy. Their connection to outer world is a celebration of urban living.





AWARDS:

2008 CUSTOM HOME DESIGN MERIT AWARD

2008 AIA INSTITUTE HONOR AWARD FOR INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE

2008 RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECT GRAND DESIGN AWARD

2007 AIA CC MERIT AWARD, CALIFORNIA COUNCIL AIA

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