Design Solution: Interlocking boxes organize program, materially twisting upward while rooting into the landscape and peering over the bay. The main house is largely concealed upon arrival, but it gradually comes into view as visitors descend into the site. Orthogonal forms are rotated to carve out views, create courtyards, shield from the sun, and offer shifting encounters with light and landscape.

Concrete anchors the ground floor, shaped by custom sawtooth board-forms that cast soft shadows throughout the day. The concrete mix includes a high fly-ash content to reduce its carbon footprint while providing robust thermal mass and fire resistance. Material selections anticipate evolving characteristics: the concrete softening with exposure as the redwood rainscreen silvers, their aging demonstrating the passage of time. The areas around and between the main house and accessory dwelling unit are planted with native species.

Photo © Joe Fletcher

Structure and Materials: Expressed structural forms of sawtooth board-form concrete, mass-timber panels, and steel Vierendeel trusses frame introverted contemplative spaces within the expanse. Redwood and eucalyptus from trees felled during fires and ensuing mudslides suggest a material form of regeneration. Textured concrete shells provide relief against the wildfires that are frequent in this region with increasing pace and severity.

Additional Information
Completion date: April 2025
Site size: 3 acres
Total construction cost: Withheld
Client/Owner: Withheld

Photos © Joe Fletcher

Drawings courtesy SAW // Spiegel Aihara Workshop, click to enlarge