Project size: 1,986 sf
Program: The house was built on alongside an existing home in a single lot, located at an intersection between a residential street and a busy thoroughfare. The site is also adjacent to a former Southern Pacific Rail line, with the scar of the tracks still visible in the landscape. Given those conditions, the architects designed a house that considered light, air, and privacy within the context of the neighboring structure and the active street.
Location: Berkeley, California
Solution: The architecture borrows from the industrial qualities of the railway to echo the site’s former use. Corrugated metal wraps down the roof and exterior wall that face the former train line, while the front side expresses the pitch of the roof, tying the structure to a more traditional house form. The interior’s open plan features high vaulted ceilings and lofty spaces.
Construction and materials: The structure comprises standard wood framing—typical of many homes in the area, but eliminates features such as collar ties in order to express the roof pitch on the interior. Off-the-shelf materials are used in inventive ways.
Completion date: December 2014