San Francisco is easily one of the most gorgeous cities in the world, as a result of combination of a hilly landscape, water on three sides along with an impressive building stock. The”Painted Ladies,” the older Victorian buildings which draw tourists to areas such as Haight-Ashbury, are most likely the best-known examples of town’s architecture. Unfortunately for architects pushing the envelope with modern buildings, this historic fabric and its supporters make the town a notoriously difficult place to get things done.
But have done they do, from jobs such as the Federal Building by Morphosis and Stanley Saitowitz’s Yerba Buena Lofts to the next houses scattered across the Bay Area. In general, we find architects dealing with this historic context as well as other urban considerations — noise, privacy, building codes — along with also the ever-present urge to find the best view possible. The next photos show how they’ve succeeded.
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CCS ARCHITECTURE
Located near Buena Vista Park, this little house replaces one of similar size in a contemporary manner. The timber slats on the floor ensure privacy, however the wraparound windows over provide lots of light and perspectives.
Schwartz and Architecture
What looks like a new house inserted between its older neighbors actually dates back to the 1950s and is what the architects less-than-affectionately predict a”builder’s unique.” Regardless, the easy stucco exterior with timber window frames is a wonderful method of treating the front facade. Still, the display in the top right and bump over the parapet hints at something beyond…
Schwartz and Architecture
A third-floor roof deck provides the owners a beautiful retreat that is private, but nevertheless part of the city. The mixture of stucco and timber is used throughout the job, but the amount of glass is ample, enabling more openness and better perspectives.
Mark English Architects, AIA
From the street, this house dating back to 1937 — exactly the exact same birth year as the neighboring Golden Gate Bridge — looks essentially the same as it did when it was constructed, save for new windows, new paint, and a new roof and a duplex. However, a look round the back…
Mark English Architects, AIA
… shows a contemporary addition that more than doubles the present house size. Lots of glass and even more outside area (on 3 levels: terrace, balcony, roof terrace) maximize the perspectives and use of this exterior.
Mark English Architects, AIA
From the rooftop, this perspective of downtown San Francisco is stunning. Enough said.
John Maniscalco Architecture
On the other end of the spectrum — layouts that present a contemporary face to the street — is this house and the following one by the exact same architect. The combination of substances breaks down the grade of the facades, while the terraces make sure that perspectives may be enjoyed outdoors and from inside.
John Maniscalco Architecture
This exterior of the house, too by Maniscalco, is primarily timber. Utilizing this substance over contemporary forms provides a contextual nod to conventional neighbors. Again, terrace space is provided for appreciating the views outdoors.
John Lum Architecture, Inc.. AIA
Some architects change their answers to historic circumstance in degrees. 1 such architect is John Lum, who designed this house and another two. A third-floor addition appears pared down, as it includes exactly the identical stucco exterior as the floor below it. The second-story cornice appears to be a historic remnant that is mimicked but simplified in the addition.
John Lum Architecture, Inc.. AIA
The apparent bulk of the two-unit corner building has been decreased by articulating its facade in 2 halves: the left side is metal and solid while the right side is more spacious with timber slats and large windows.
John Lum Architecture, Inc.. AIA
Another house by Lum breaks the fairly flat facade into three sections: a huge stucco area that surrounding the garage door, the entrance with blue tile over it, along with the butterfly roof with glass and wood below. In every example of Lum’s layouts, the scale is in keeping with all the neighboring houses. The architect also articulates the facades to link the contemporary designs to the older buildings too.
Feldman Architecture, Inc..
This townhouse renovation on Buena Vista Terrace near Haight-Ashbury concentrates its power on the rear of the house. The kitchen-dining amount was opened up towards the garden: pushed out from the design and literally opened through a wall of doors.
Feldman Architecture, Inc..
The view from inside certainly makes it apparent why the focus is on the back of the house.
Fougeron Architecture FAIA
This house is completely contemporary, but the front facade’s mix of 2 scales — the fine grain of the timber slats and the larger size of this second-floor window — make it a welcome addition that the area. From above…
Fougeron Architecture FAIA
… we can observe the way the bulk of the house rises at the rear, giving the building a little scale on the street side while giving the owners some valuable outdoor roof area.
WA Design Architects
This house in Berkeley — across the bay from San Francisco — is primarily solid from the front. But in the back…
WA Design Architects
… the layout involves walls of glass for catching sun and views. Notice the inclusion of a roof terrace. Even though there is a little backyard, this overlooks useable outdoor area and perspectives.
Fougeron Architecture FAIA
By Berkeley, we return into San Francisco, especially the South of Market Area (SOMA), that was especially popular before the dot-com bubble burst. Old buildings were saved and converted to residences, but none are as dramatic as this old warehouse with a rooftop addition.
Fougeron Architecture FAIA
From the rather straightforward loft spaces below, an elegant stair rises towards the light along with the addition.
Fougeron Architecture FAIA
Atop the older warehouse is this exemplary addition, what the architects liken to a”grasshopper settled lightly on the building surface.” By reaching skyward, the grasshopper addition offers access to the roof deck with views of the surrounding town. It’s a fairly good summation of the thoughts which are driving new houses in San Francisco.
More regional contemporary architecture:
Chicago | Boston | Austin | NYC | NY Metro | Oregon | Seattle | No. Calif.. | L.A. | Coastal L.A.
