San Mateo County

Firm: Winges Architects

Client: Not Provided
City: Not Provided
Website: http://www.wingesaia.com/

Vista Drive Residence

This house was originally designed by William Garren AIA and built in 1933.  Over the years it passed through a number of owners, but was largely in its original state when acquired by the present owner.  Deferred maintenance and outdated kitchens and baths plus need for significant more space for a growing family, prompted the Owners to enlarge the structure, but with the directed to retain the charm and unique details of the original historic home.

The main house with living, dining and bedrooms was retained and updated to meet codes.  A one story double car garage and a maid's quarters were removed.

The new addition consists of a new three car garage cut into the slope of the site, which a separate second unit above.  A new kitchen, laundry and atrium, two new bedrooms and two new baths plus related improvements were added.  The entire site was re-landscaped and the pool renovated.

The roof shapes and additions were arranged to allow the original house to maintain its form while blending the whole composition into the unique craftsman aesthetic.  Deconstruction and re-use of siding, wood details and other materials allowed the for addition to duplicate the feel and look of the original.  The quirky asymmetry, curing roof shapes, odd dormers and similar one-of-a-kind elements were particularly loved the owner and relate to the original design.  The contractor was able to duplicate the intricate wood and brick masonry patterns where new material was used.

The house sits in landscaped grounds with stone retaining walls, lush plantings, ply yards, patios and pool area.

Firm: TSH International

Client: Not Provided
City: San Francisco
Website: http://www.tshinternational.com/

Armstrong Place

Located in San Francisco's Bayview District, this affordable family townhouse community is part of a trend of transit-oriented development along Third Street, and lies just a block from a stop of the new Muni Third Street Light Rail. The freestanding row of duplex townhomes is located in the triangular piece of the site facing the railroad and Mendel, a new street built as part of the project.

The project consists of a row of five duplex townhomes (10-homes) on a 12,115 s.f. (0.28 acre) urban infill lot.
The homes are approximately 1,650 square feet for the 2-bedroom + den townhome and 2,200 square feet for
the 4-bedroom + den townhome. All homes have, 2-1/2 baths, and 1-car garage.

Major challenges of this project were:
• Design an attractive single-family townhome within the affordable guidelines of the San Francisco
Redevelopment Agency
• creation a strong street identity and presence
• density of 10-townhomes for the project's economic viability.

The exterior design has a strongly articulated facade accentuated by the varied colors and strong angular building forms and dynamic window configurations. Additionally, different width cementitous horizontal siding is used to further delineate the different facade planes.

The street presence is celebrated with the vibrant colors of the horizontal deck screens and garage doors with translucent glass panels.

The project takes advantage of the triangular site by using the angular corners to provide additional bedroom and living areas on the two units at each end.

Firm: Ana Williamson Architects

Client: Not Provided
City: Menlo Park
Website: http://www.awarchitect.com/

Kang Residence

At first blush, the existing house on this site in Menlo Park, CA was not worth saving. It had been a rental for many years, was wildly overgrown and had fallen into disrepair. Fortunately, the new homeowners could see its embodied potential. Seduced by its old world charm and fortuitous location on the lovely wooded site, they decided to embark on an ambitious remodel.

The design team’s goals were to maintain the integrity of the house layout, improve the flow, connect interior spaces to the outdoors and overlay a modern aesthetic. The owners were looking to create a modern environment where they could seamlessly mesh the old and the new. They wanted clean lines and materials and still be able to throw in their antiques from India and Japan. As a tight knit family of five, with frequent visits from family in England the program required 4 bedrooms and a guest suite. Additions to the house totaling 1,130 SF provided enough space to satisfy their functional needs (3,990 SF total). The homeowners also opted to incorporate many green features and were awarded 98 points from Build-it-Green.

Completed in 2009, the house integrates the functional flow with natural features of the site.
The existing oak near the front entry is celebrated with a new entry patio and courtyard. Natural light has been abundantly introduced via large metal window openings and skylights, helping emphasize the spatial layering that informs the plan. The ability to open up the living spaces around the rear courtyard was a deliberate gesture to reinforce the connection to the outdoors as well as create a dialogue between the wings of the house.
 

Firm: DES Architects & Engineers

Client: Not Provided
City: Cupertino
Website: http://www.des-ae.com/

Performing Arts Center

The new Performing Arts Center in Cupertino, CA is sited at the north end of a 112-acre campus with high visibility from Stevens Creek Boulevard. It is shared by the dance, music, and film department, a museum, and an art history classroom.

The 20,485 sf, 1-story performing arts center includes a 400-seat teaching performance hall that includes a 35' x 80' stage, control room, a green room, dressing rooms, and a box office. This flexible space is used for dance, music and film studies and performances thus making the variable acoustics a critical design element. The museum of art displays both student and professional artwork and includes an exhibition space, museum offices and ancillary work rooms and storage space. The art history classroom includes a projection booth and is able to provide multi-media presentations.

With the addition of the museum and art history functions, the building footprint created a semi-enclosed courtyard providing outdoor space for art exhibits, breakout space for the performance hall, events and receptions. In addition infrastructure was installed to allow the space to be used as an outdoor classroom.

A sense of openness was an important design objective. The building is orientated outwardly toward the community. The 2-story glass lobby maximizes natural lighting and gives transparency to the activity and life inside.

To set the building apart yet relate to the campus, the designer selected geometric and linear elements prevalent in the existing Mission-style campus buildings. The contemporary minimalist architecture is a play of overlapping and intersecting planes that creates lightness in volume. A curved glass and metal frontage is a metaphor for the parting of stage curtains. Bold terra cotta and brick red colors stand out, but connects to the campus’ earth tones.

An informal yet elegant style is achieved with exterior materials such as polished cement plaster, architectural metal panels, corrugated metal, glass curtain wall, and high performance glazing. .

The Museum was challenged with space constraints and maintaining its identity from the performance hall. Working closely with all stakeholders the design evolved into a center for the arts, providing individual building identity for the performance hall and Museum while maintaining the strong functional connection and allowing shared use of common space.

The $15 million project is LEED Silver target. Sustainable features include high efficiency HVAC building systems, indoor environmental quality, low VOC products, construction waste management, water-efficient landscape, regional materials, recycled materials in the ceramic tile, carpeting, seating, and acoustical insulation made from denim jeans. The site has alternative transportation with a nearby bus line. Site selection of an infill location on a former parking lot does not disturb a green space.
 

Firm: DES Architects & Engineers

Client: Not Provided
City: Sunnyvale
Website: http://www.des-ae.com/

Moffett Amenities Building

The client envisioned a world-class fitness and spa facility as well as space for large company meetings, informal gatherings, and employee down time as a centerpiece for their newest corporate campus. Designers conceived of a club intended to create a unique and forward-thinking environment with a strong identity inside and out. The project achieved LEED NC 2.2 Gold certification.

The Amenities Building is strategically located at the heart of a significant, sustainable, 1.7-million sf corporate campus with VTA light rail station connection. Located in Sunnyvale, California, along the south edge of historic Moffett Field, a former U.S. Naval Air Station, the two-parcel, 52-acre campus is highly visible and acts as a gateway to Silicon Valley. The building houses a bank and a health club with spa and café.

The two-story, 48,000 sf state-of-the-art corporate health club is the architectural gem of the campus. A club of this caliber is rare among on-site facilities on a multiple-tenant commercial campus. The sustainable, sophisticated design creates a quality club experience.

The club takes its design cues from the surrounding buildings, yet has its unique character. The architecture is both visually dynamic and infused with symbolism from nature and aviation including the aviator’s badge, derived from birds in flight. It is a striking configuration of curves and linear forms exemplified by the light-filled, open, two-story glass and steel lobby.

The simple yet powerful design uses rich materials providing a luxurious, relaxing resort-like environment where members can have a world-class fitness and spa experience without leaving the campus.

The club's thoughtful interior design references natural forms such as ginkgo leaves and reeds, bringing a sense of tranquility and nature indoors. The leaf pattern is carried throughout in the details of the stamped concrete flooring and in the colors of the carpeting. The color palette accentuates the natural characteristics of the materials and takes advantage of the light in each space according to the building’s orientation.

Sustainable materials include FSC certified cherry wood, locally fabricated custom cast concrete, recycled-content ceramic tile and Greenguard certified furniture.

Facilities include a day spa, a cafe that accommodates large gatherings; a 25-yard pool is solar-heated and handicap accessible; Jacuzzi, sauna, shower, locker room, gymnasium, weight and cardio area, and studios.

Firm: Adolph S. Rosekrans, Inc. Architects

Client: County of San Mateo
City: Wunderlich Park, Woodside
Website: http://www.aiasf.org/Membership_Profile/602.htm

Folger Estate Stables

The rehabilitation of this historic stable has restored to its original grandeur the earliest significant property associated with the equestrian life of prominent San Franciscans who summered in Woodside, one of the distinctive themes of the town's history.  Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004, the stable, part of a grand country estate, was designed in 1905 by the fledgling San Francisco firm of Schultze & Brown.  Arthur Brown Jr. would subsequently, in partnership with John Bakewell Jr. game fame as the architect of the San Francisco City Hall and other California landmarks.  Even in this early work, Brown's Beaux-Arts training and personal genius are evident, revealing themselves in the rational and well-organized design that draws upon the 17th-century French Baroque, touched by the Bay Area Craftsman influences of his time at Berkeley.  The stables - which originally comprised horse stalls, a tack room, a carriage room, living quarters and offices - is distinguished by its thoughtful plan, complex massing, and elegant ornamentation.

Although the stable as still in use as a horse-boarding facility when rehabilitation began in 2007, it had fallen in sad decay, the result od decades of neglect and deferred maintenance.  It suffered from extensive rot and termite damage, as well as the loss of materials and features;  and, of immediate concern, the massive steeply pitched hipped roof was on the verge of collapse.  The project's program was to retain the historic use of the building and to add an educational gallery, while modernizing electrical, plumbing, and mechanical systems, improving functionality, and ensuring seismic safety.

The team stripped damaged finishes and sheathing from the walls and installed plywood for shear, then tied the framing to the concrete foundation.  Metal gussets were added to existing trusses as needed, and collapsed headers, beams and other members were replaced.  A new roof was immediately added to prevent additional damage.  Custom-milled redwood siding and paneling were introduced where the old fabric had deteriorated beyond salvaging.  Features and details that could not be repaired, including most of the redwood windows, were replaced with carefully matched reproductions.  New wrought-iron window grilles and marble base, augmenting the surviving examples, were fabricated and installed in the main hall.  the original passive ventilation and daylighting system - consisting of four vertical shafts and operable windows - was restored, allowing, for the first time in years, light and air to pour into the stable.  A radiant heating system was installed (replacing an abandoned oil-burning boiler), together with fire-protection and security stems and an accessible restroom.  The function of the building as a working stable was improved through various measures, including construction of modern stalls and new flooring, and the old carriage room was prepared for the installation of interpretive educational displays.

The $3.2 million rehabilitation of the stable not only restored the character of a splendid local landmark but has also resulted in a building that better serves the needs of the local community and offers visitors the opportunity to learn about an important aspect of Woodside history.