This new custom residence is a bold, yet simple, example of modern architecture that weaves together interior and exterior space through a network of terraces, site walls, patios, and paths. The approximately 6,200 square-foot, two-story home is nestled in Los Altos Hills. It was created with flat roofs, minimal overhangs, and meticulous detailing that maximizes views and lighting. A sunken entry courtyard transitions a visitor into the home, serving as an introduction to the unfolding of the house’s levels down the gradual slope of the site. At the base of the descending progression, the great room offers 180-degree views of the entire mountain range of the Foothills Open Space Preserve.
Two rectilinear, cantilevered forms defined by planes of stucco form an L-configuration that orients this house to open out to its back yard and view of the hills. Linear slot windows provide scale and lightness to the long, horizontal forms while the building’s transparency is created by wide sliding glass panels that blur the boundary between inside and outside. Additionally, the reflection of the sun on the pool is filtered through the slots in the steel stairs.
The structural engineering was designed to seamlessly integrate with the architectural vision while providing a resilient and durable system. The gravity system consists of engineered joists, girders and columns, with small steel sections at select locations. The lateral system is primarily composed of high capacity wood shear walls. At-grade portions of the foundation were designed as a structural slab supported by drilled, cast-in-place, reinforced concrete piers extending into the underlying bedrock. The basement areas are supported on a mat foundation. Slabs-on-grade were used for the garage, exterior patios, and walkways and reinforced to reduce cracking for brittle floor finishes.
Photo Credit: Adam Rouse Photography