Sanctuary House – California

The clients of The Sanctuary House, recent empty-nesters planning ahead to retirement, hoped to downsize and simplify in the design of their new Palo Alto, Californian home. When the clients purchased the property, an old wooden fence across the front yard and the original house closed off the site from the street. Behind this rough and aged presentation, however, was an urban refuge of lush vegetation throughout the deep lot. This sense of discovery served as the original inspiration for the design of the house and directed both architect and client to its culmination.
Designed by Feldman Architecture , the house is sited quietly behind the large heritage oak tree with its canopy stretching across the generously sized front yard. After passing under its branches, guests are lead through a series of courtyards and view gardens that weave through the undulating footprint of the building. Each interior space is paired with its own landscape moment, allowing the architecture and landscape to flow into each other.
The structure floats on stilts of piers, allowing the building to participate in dialogue with the trees on-site while protecting the root areas. The floor plate projects beyond the building envelope and dissolves into balconies to blur the sense of indoor/outdoor while at the same time lifting the building up from the ground.
Three pavilions span the depth of the lot. The thoughtfully placed second-story apartment is designed for rentals. Below, board-formed concrete walls serve as organizing elements in the main residence which separate private from public areas.

Related Posts

No Comments Yet.

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.