“Shifting volumes” make up Cole Valley Residence by Jensen Architects

“Shifting volumes” make up Cole Valley Residence by Jensen Architects

US studio Jensen Architects has established a tall hillside house that includes expansive views and an elevator that will empower the homeowners to stay in the house as they age.

Climbing five levels, the home was designed for a couple who desired a property with a tranquil environment and views of San Francisco.

Cole Jensen Architecture
Jensen Architecture built Cole Valley Home in San Francisco

Regional studio Jensen Architects developed the house to both of those embrace and defy its difficult web site situations – a hilly parcel in the Cole Valley neighbourhood, in the vicinity of the city’s famed Sutro Tower. The residence replaces an more mature dwelling that was on the residence.

Composed of stacked containers, the dwelling has setbacks and cantilevers that assistance break up its massing. Enough glazing and pale-toned plaster also help lighten the home’s overall look.

Cole Valley Residence Aerial
The house is a sequence of stacked and cantilevered volumes

“The site’s sophisticated geology and the clients’ dreams tell a composition of shifting volumes that define a collection of indoor and outdoor spaces – from the intimate to the amazing – while offering shading and privacy,” the staff said.

Created of board-shaped concrete, the base closely follows the footprint of the prior house, which served minimise excavation.

Modern interior with glass was
The household adheres to the site’s hilly geography

The higher flooring, which move forward and again, are comprehensive in plaster and glass and “seem to float”, the crew said. The 3rd amount reaches outward toward San Francisco Bay in the distance.

Within the property, public and private areas are unfold throughout the five amounts. Performing intently with the purchasers, the design and style team established a variety of atmospheres, from cosy nooks to vivid and expansive rooms.

Sculptural modern staircase white
The ground floor characteristics a sculptural staircase

“Spaces are personalized for ideal ergonomics, specific practices and a enthusiasm for art, style and design and know-how,” the workforce extra.

The bottom flooring contains a garage and entry corridor with artwork and polished concrete flooring. The 1st stage holds a bedroom suite for company or a caretaker, a laundry area and a mechanical room.

Modern home with Breuer chair and built-in bookshelf San Francisco
The property has two places of work and a looking at nook

Two workplaces, two examining nooks and a gymnasium are found on the 2nd level.

Up previously mentioned, on the 3rd ground, the crew placed the general public spaces – a kitchen, dining place and residing home, such as room for a grand piano.

Modern living room overlooking San Francisco
Floor-to-ceiling glass provides views of the city

Flooring-to-ceiling glass delivers immersive views of the metropolis to the north and a rear garden to the south.

“Below, the clients take pleasure in the duality of their peaceful rear yard and sweeping town sights, spanning from the downtown skyline to the Pacific Ocean,” the studio claimed.

Backyard with bridge
The house has a multi-stage backyard

The top rated stage contains the principal suite that characteristics a generous closet, a seating area and a glass-lined terrace.

Distinctive notice was compensated to the home’s vertical circulation, which is made up of two interior staircases and an elevator.

Living room with glass window
The prime stage is made up of the most important suite

“The client’s desire in the aesthetic knowledge of stairs encouraged the vertical ascent through the property,” the studio reported.

Connecting the floor and initially level is a sculptural staircase. The remaining storeys are linked by a different stair with white oak cladding and a recessed and illuminated handrail.

Black minimalist bathroom
The home has substantial-grade insulation

In the back again of the household, a single finds an strange feature – a bridge that connects to an upper-level terrace and crosses over a floor-degree patio.

“A code-needed 2nd exit grew to become a bridge connecting the living amount and backyard garden terrace,” the studio said.

Rear modern San Francisco home at night
A code-expected exit led the architects to design and style a bridge in between the terrace and the backyard garden

The landscape structure was knowledgeable by Asian back garden traditions. Aspects incorporate permeable ground cover, French drains and an undulating topography that aids take in and redirect stormwater.

“A dense thicket of Phyllostachys vivax (timber bamboo) screens the residence from its uphill neighbours and also supplies lush habitat for birds and pollinators,” the crew extra.

The property has a quantity of sustainable features, including continual exterior insulation, superior-functionality glass, operable windows, a radiant hydronic heating program and clever thermostats in every single place.

A rooftop photovoltaic array helps fulfill electricity needs, and some of the vitality generated is converted to batteries for use in the occasion of a ability outage.

Illuminated modern home in San Francisco
The household has rooftop photo voltaic panels

“Robust earth shoring, concrete and metal foundations, and stormwater drainage systems assure the dwelling will continue to be for many years,” the workforce reported.

Other assignments in San Francisco by Jensen Architects involve the conversion of a sawtooth-roof warehouse into an arts centre and the revamp of a Victorian property that now options a minimalist inside and a modern day rear facade.

The pictures is by Joe Fletcher.


Challenge credits:

Architecture and interiors: Jensen Architects
Structural engineering: Holmes Structures
Geotechnical engineering: Murray Engineers
Civil engineering: Sandis
Shoring: Benjamin P Lai & Associates
Waterproofing: Simpson Gumpertz & Heger
Mechanical, electrical and plumbing: Engineering 350
Landscape architect: Munden Fry Landscape Associates
Lights: Johanna Grawunder
Sustainability: Residence Electrical power Providers
Specs: Topflight Specs