Pacific Heights House by Jensen Architects
A compact street presence belies expansive living spaces in this urban house.
Distinguishing the front facade, each volume has a different cladding, including a perforated metal screen for the vertical bifold garage door.
Photo © Joe Fletcher
The penthouse deck offers spectacular views of the Bay.
Photo © Joe Fletcher
A waterfall spout over the pool allows it to double as a large water feature.
Photo © Joe Fletcher
Photo © Joe Fletcher
Photo © Joe Fletcher
Image courtesy Jensen Architects
Image courtesy Jensen Architects
Architects & Firms
San Francisco
Urban dwellings can feel highly compartmentalized, composed of segregated levels. A recently completed four-story home, at the crest of San Francisco’s affluent Pacific Heights neighborhood, is surprisingly expansive. Designed by Jensen Architects, the house is a series of glazed volumes with complementary outdoor spaces.
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“The clients were interested in a radical level of openness,” says Frank Merritt, a principal at Jensen. The property’s original house was designed in 1941 by architect Gardner Dailey, an early Bay Area modernist. Over the years, its identity had been compromised by renovations, but it retained its unusual layout. Designed for a closer view of the Bay, the back of the house was nearly at the property line; instead of a backyard, it had a courtyard between the main structure and the garage.
The architects’ design is essentially a new building inspired by the original layout. They excavated below the steeply sloping grade to create guest quarters, expanded the main house, and added a small penthouse level. A glass-walled hallway separates the new gravel courtyard from a jetted lap pool: an urban version of a suburban backyard. On the third level, the open living/dining/kitchen area flows onto a large deck that continues past the courtyard to the front edge of the house. At the top, the pavilionlike penthouse has glass sliding doors on three sides for enjoying the view. While the 5,800-square-foot house is considerably larger than the original, it is still well under the maximum allowed because of its emphasis on outdoor space. The main level is visually connected to the level below: from above, there’s a clear sight line all the way through the courtyard to the entrance.
With so much transparency, solar gain and privacy are an issue. The architects installed translucent mechanical pocketed shades in front of every glass wall, and added a second layer for the street-facing spaces. The kitchen is shaded by the cantilevered penthouse, and the penthouse itself has external fins that offer a clear view straight on but obscure side views. The extruded-aluminum louvers have an airfoil-shaped profile that is 8 inches deep and 1 inch wide. “As much as we architects like big expanses of glass, there’s the psychology of space—we needed to mitigate that feeling of living in a glass box,” says Merritt.
PeopleArchitect: Jensen Architects
Personnel in architect's firm who should receive special credit: Mark Jensen*, Frank Merritt*, Audrey Harris*, Kimberly Cinco (project leads)
Engineers Structural: Ware Associates
Consultants Landscape Architect: Terra Ferma Landscapes
General contractor: Ryan Associates
Photographer: Joe Fletcher Photography: (415) 216-7948
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ProductsStructural System Wood framing; structural steel Manufacturer of any structural components unique to this project: Custom, self-supporting, perforated stainless steel staircase (subcontractor: Solher Iron) Exterior Cladding Wood: Decking & Privacy Screen: IPE with Penofin "For Hardwood" oil finish (subcontractor: Placemakers) Moisture barrier: Green Roofs: Hydrotech MM6125 (subcontractor: Lawson Roofing) Other cladding unique to this project: Stucco: Dryvit 100% Acrylic-Based Dirt Pickup Resistance Finish, custom color (subcontractor: Kurt Meiswinkel) Roofing Single ply, thermoplastic membrane: Sika Sarnafil "G410-Feltback" roofing system with fully-adhered Sarnafil PVC membrane (subcontractor: Lawson Roofing) Windows Metal frame: Fleetwood "530-T" sliding/fixed windows (subcontractor: Pinnacle Installation) Glazing Glass coating: Guardian Glass "SunGuard SN-68" (subcontractor: Pinnacle Installation) Skylights: Custom walkable skylights: Circle Redmont Inc. (subcontractor: Pinnacle Installation) Doors Entrances: Vitrocsa Pivot Door (subcontractor: Goldbrecht) Metal doors: Fleetwood “3900-T” swing door (subcontractor: Pinnacle Installation) Wood doors: Interior: Custom fabricated, solid-core wood doors with conversion varnish finish (subcontractor: Charles Marpet Fine Woodworking / Interior Wood Systems) Sliding doors: Vitrocsa Sliding Door (subcontractor: Goldbrecht) Upswinging doors, other: Garage Man Door: custom fabricated steel door with aluminum louvers by LouvreTec, clad with perforated steel (subcontractor: Urban Lab Design) Hardware Locksets: FSB Level Handles 1075 Closers: Dorma 8900 Series Pulls: Pocket Doors: FSB Flush Pull Set & Edge Pull Interior swing door hinges: Rixson Offset Pivots Interior Finishes Cabinetwork and custom woodwork: Custom Casework: with Fumed Eucalyptus veneer or white conversion varnish (subcontractor: Charles Marpet Fine Woodworking / Interior Wood Systems) Solid surfacing: Bathroom vanities and bathtub surround: DuPont Corian (subcontractor: Charles Marpet Fine Woodworking / Interior Wood Systems) Special surfacing: Pool Plaster: PebbleTec “PebbleFina” (subcontractor: Aquascape) Floor and wall tile: Master Bathroom: Mutina “Phenomenon – Honycomb B” textured mosaic tile Raised flooring: Engineered hardwood flooring: lightly fumed, rustic European Oak with Ciranova Hardwax (subcontractor: First, Last, & Always) Special interior finishes unique to this project: Engineered hardwood flooring: lightly fumed, rustic European Oak with Ciranova Hardwax (subcontractor: First, Last, & Always) Furnishings Chairs: Dining: Charme by Busnelli (provided by Dzine) Tables: Coffee: Tunnel Table by Glas Italia (provided by Dzine) Other furniture: Landscaping planters: Lighting Interior ambient lighting: (subcontractor: AES) Downlights: General ceiling recessed: RSA “Mini Quiet Ceiling” trimless, square Tasklighting: Art Wall: LiteLab “Busrun” with LiteLab Museum Colletion “M01 Object Lights” Exterior: Tree up-lighting: BK Lighting “Adjustable Well Star” Dimming system or other lighting controls: Lutron Homeworks Conveyance Elevators/escalators: Elevator: ElfoLift with glass elevator shaft (subcontractor: Elevator Boutique) Plumbing (subcontractor: City Front Plumbing, U.O.N.) Vola “111L” wall mounted faucet with Omvivo “Onda Washplane” sink Kitchen: Wine Room: |
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