Green House by S^A | Schwartz and Architecture

Menlo Park, California

By RECORD Editors

Green House, Menlo Park — *Photo © Ayla Christman Photography*

Architects & Firms

S^A | Schwartz and Architecture

Location: Menlo Park, California
Project size: 3,100 square feet

Program: S^A | Schwartz and Architecture’s primary design charge for this renovation and addition was “First, do no harm.” The original house was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright protégé Aaron Green and built by Eichler Homes in 1966. The firm’s guiding dictum would prove ironic given the timing of the global pandemic and its impact on the project’s cost and schedule. But the challenge remained the same: protect the design integrity of the house while adding a substantial amount of space to make it viable for a young family with three children.

Design Solution: The firm’s design strategy was to let its modern interventions shine while always asking, “What would Mr. Green do?” Given the spider-like sculptural roof and scuppers of the original structure, the house was already a complete thought with no obvious solution of how to add to the composition, let alone double the interior square footage.

S^A’s first design move was to head off the existing downward sloping roof beams mid-span and add a small rear addition along the entire length of the structure under a new upward-sloping roof. This opened the dark kitchen and bedrooms with a new higher ceiling, while continuing the rhythm of the existing structure and creating a niche for hidden cove lighting where the original beams once ran.

Since the existing carport and scupper was too low for many modern family cars—and, besides, no longer met local code for covered parking—the firm raised it at the front to create a new carport while converting a portion of the area into a new sunken family room, consistent with the mid-century vibe of the original. Finally, a bedroom suite was added, tucked behind a new board-formed concrete wall. Taking inspiration from the home’s existing concrete block walls, the addition peeks out behind the new wall, reverential but deferential. Similarly, the roof has its own distinct character, with the lightness of the clerestory windows balancing the heaviness of the original roofline. Whenever possible, views through the space frame the iconic roof scuppers as they touch down to the ground.

Photo © Ayla Christman Photography

Structure and Materials: The original redwood roof beams and tongue-and-groove ceiling deck were preserved and exposed, while new wood elements utilize vertical grain douglas fir for contrast. Similarly, existing CMU block walls were retained and patched where possible, and new board-formed concrete walls act as a modern counterpoint.

Additional Information
Completion date: September 2023
Site size: .32 acres
Total construction cost: Withheld
Client/Owner: Ayla Christman