Featured in an article about California homes, in Alaska Airlines Magazine July 2008.
In many ways the residence is a seminal project for the office, in that it put together in one building my thoughts, feelings and convictions about architecture and environmentally conscious design to that date. It was built on an atypical building site, a “flag lot” with no street frontage and presented an opportunity to design a house different from one built on a typical city lot. Being far back off the street, the lot was essentially surrounded by all “backyards”, creating a very private setting for a house, similar to a “Mediterranean” courtyard house. This was in fact the feeling that I wished to create for the house on its site.
Some design features: Building a split-level partially sub-grade house made use of the ground as an insulator. The swimming pool, closely integrated into the design of the house, runs along the edge of the living room to provide not only aesthetic but psychological benefits of water as part of the house environment. The radiant floor space heating system uses hot water supplied by flat plate collectors custom-built on the site. A “double roof”, in the form of a corrugated fiberglass roof over a waterproof roof deck further reduces heat gain in the summer. Clerestory windows around the 11 foot high main living spaces provide summer night-time ventilation as well as additional daylight, and ample operable windows in the whole house promote excellent cross-ventilation. High efficiency honey-combed thermal blinds in east and south windows virtually block out all heat on a hot day.
Color: The hue of the stucco, a dark mauve, softens and downplays the form of the house, especially in the winter and at dusk when the house takes on the color of the sky. Brightly painted stuccoed concrete block walls were used between the buildings and between the buildings and the fences to enclose the “courtyard” and to visually separate yet connect the buildings.
The highest priority of design of Moore Village was that it fit in as well as is possible into the center of a single family neighborhood and and minimized the visual impact of apartments in the neighborhood. The site design addressed community issues of noise, excessive site lighting, visible parking lots and safety concerns.
While designed to be as sustainable a project as was possible, livability and a high level of identity for each unit were of equal importance. All units are south-facing, have 4 ft. overhangs on the south and were designed for a high level of daylight and cross-ventilation. New green materials were used to the fullest extent possible and building materials were saved, re-used and recycled during construction.
In this second BAC remodel, the first was in 1977, the kitchen was the focus of the remodel, designed for two adults cooking in it. The emphasis was in “uncluttering” the kitchen and to provide a space for a breakfast table. The desire was to let in more daylight, but to retain privacy from the front of the house. The solution was to place kitchen widows high in the atrium wall inside a high ceiling well, lighting the space with scoop lights at night.
A new wall-enclosed patio and fountain were added off the dining room for outdoor dining and to mask the noise of a neighbor's AC equipment.
A unique part of the project was the inclusion of a large group of Laotian immigrants in the potential tenant group. The concept for the design of the site as a “Village Core” was derived from the families’ own design criteria, which stressed a “closed” site with controlled access points, parking within sight of one’s residence, private family garden space as well as group areas for gardening, playing, and socializing. A centrally located bank of mail boxes was developed as a focus for such informal gathering and socializing by sheltering it with a large shade structure and tree and placing benches around it.
Color and attention to details were employed to create a model, up-beat, non-institutional environment, inside and out. This was manifest in a number of ways: Multi-color stucco walls were set off by white trim, coordinated with alternating roof colors to give units a greater visual identity; all site accessories are white; deep indigo blue steel tubing is used throughout the site in a perimeter fence; indigo blue steel trellises (covered by vines) placed between sections of carports and atop trash enclosures help soften their impact; colorful, decorative ceramic tiles, based on Laotian textile motifs and crafted by local artist Donna Billick, were used on the concrete block walls to further liven up the site. The simple buildings are eye-catching while still fitting in gracefully with the modest houses in the existing neighborhood.
STATE-WIDE DESIGN AWARD received.
The remodeling was extensive: the entire house was gutted except for a study and guest bathroom at the front of the house, which remained relatively unchanged. Bumping out part of the house in the front allowed for a two-car deep garage in place of the existing one-car garage as well as additional space to enlarge the kitchen and add a small study. A second story was added and includes two children's bedrooms, a family/guest room and a small bathroom. The dining room was also enlarged by a small addition in the back.
The master bedroom suite and living room/dining room received new insulated glass divided-light wood windows and French doors overlooking the park-like back yard. The new windows not only increased energy efficiency but contributed to a more traditional feeling to the house. An asymmetrical vaulted ceiling in the living room/dining room, lit by simple low voltage halogen lights adds to the openness of these rooms without detracting from the attractive view.
A radiantly heated slab, integrally colored a deep peacock blue and left exposed throughout most of the house, and two, two-stage evaporative coolers located at opposite ends of the house provide the heating and cooling. Rock-filled pools catch rain water for recycling, collected below grade and brought to a point downslope at which barrels can be filled or water allowed to run off into a natural slough.
STATE-WIDE DESIGN AWARD received. Featured in the book, Dream Homes of Northern California, 2007.
It was decided early on to build a two story house to conserve outdoor open space and to provide for a vertical separation of the living and sleeping spaces. These factors created some design opportunities and eventually led to the design of an elongated zig-zag form derived from the curve.
As this is still very much an agricultural area, the design of the house reflects its vernacular heritage more than any conscious style, which did not interest the owners. Although the forms used are understated, they contrast with some more decorative, non-vernacular elements, such as the addition of ceramic tile decorations on the main facade (designed by Donna Billick, local ceramic artist), strong color accents, steel vaults and concrete columns. The house is built of simple materials, cement stucco and cedar shingle walls and roofs. Much attention was given to details and to the selection and combination of materials, textures, finishes and colors to achieve the desired “look”.
Two rear corners of the building were pulled back to preserve trees and to permit inclusion of balconies and operable windows. Balconies on all levels, recesses and cut-outs permit daylight light and air to penetrate the building. A trapezoidal plaza open to the sky caps the third story, providing usable open space for the residential units and furthering available daylight and air flow.
Special care was taken to maintain the integrity of this historic structure while enlarging the porch and adding the south wing. Much attention was given to matching existing materials and details, especially the typical eave brackets. The new west facing porch windows contain Low-E glass and are operable for seasonable weather. Ceiling fans are included in several locations to assist cooling much of the year.
STATE-WIDE DESIGN AWARD and City of Woodland Historic Preservation Award received.
BAC was responsible for the exterior design and detailing for the rehabilitation of the Benicia depot on its existing site. As drawings of the original building were not available, much time and effort was spent researching the history of the building, speaking to older local residents and reviewing old photographs and plans of similar depots of that era at the Railroad Museum. Much time was spent in researching and determining the original colors.
BAC was responsible for the move and reconstruction of the Old Library on its new site. The city was not interested in an accurate, detailed restoration of the building, but rather to retain the main facade and to rebuild the building sympathetically. Much time and effort were spent researching the history of the building, speaking to older local residents and reviewing old photographs of the building and others of that era to capture the flavor and some of the details of the building. Details, materials and hardware that were appropriately compatible were utilized. Interior materials used were of the type, finish and design of the era, but some liberties were taken with the colors.
The program essentially called for updating the building structurally, making it handicap accessible, and converting a small, old fashioned high school gymnasium/auditorium into an updated public sports facility used for several gym floor sports and for a popular and highly scheduled gymnastics program. Because it is an historical building, the changes to the exterior were subtle.
Color was used throughout the building to unify the exterior forms, to accentuate the main entrances and to create an interior that is visually and spiritually linked to the exterior. The interior materials and finishes, appropriate for the era of the building, dramatically transformed what was an institutional aspect into a cheerful, invigorating environment. A joint commission with Co-Design.
The design of the building grew out of a strong desire to save the historically important “Asbill House”, and to design a new building that incorporated the residential scale of the house and would take full advantage of its prime location at the gateway to the university. DESIGN AWARD RECEIVED.
