Architect
Structural Engineer
Geotechnical Engineer
Historic Consultant
Energy Consultant
Landscape Design
General Contractor
Metal Facade design
Metal Facade fabrication
Metal Facade installation
Photography
American Institute of Architects San Francisco
More than two decades ago, a couple purchased two adjacent properties in Russian Hill, settling into the existing house while using the neighboring lot as their yard. Over time, they raised a family there—living with the site as it was, and gradually imagining what it might become.
When they were ready to act, they returned to the project with ambitions shaped by both experience and their own design backgrounds. One of the clients, an architect with whom we had previously worked, brought a familiarity with both process and discipline. The project emerged through a shared dialogue—grounded in the realities of the site and an accumulated understanding of how they wanted to live.
The developed lot was previously occupied by a carriage house and functioned as the primary outdoor space. With the new construction, that open space is re-established at the roof—shifting the yard from the ground plane to the top of the house.
Rather than a conventional hardscape deck, the roof is given over to a planted garden, extending the living environment vertically and introducing a softer landscape five levels above the street.
Within the house, a central vertical void draws light deep into the interior. Rather than relying on perimeter openings, daylight is pulled from within—moving through the full height of the space and connecting each level. Rooms are arranged in relation to this volume, shifting between compression and release as light changes in intensity and depth.
At the street, the project is defined by a continuous metal screen—an expanded interpretation of the ubiquitous security gate. Developed through a series of prototypes and fabricated in collaboration with a metal craftsman using standard aluminum sections, the screen becomes both enclosure and identity. Its pattern is derived from the family’s tartan, abstracted and translated into three dimensions. By day, it filters light and views; by night, it casts and reflects its pattern outward—at times quietly, at times more pronounced, depending on the light.
The architecture is held in restraint, providing a quiet framework for daily life and the accumulation of objects and narratives. Within it, the interiors take on a different register—layered with references drawn from gaming and speculative worlds, reflecting one client’s transition from architecture into game design, and set against the calm of the surrounding space.
The result is a house shaped by time, collaboration, and the interplay between discipline and imagination—revealed in light, in pattern, and in the glow through the silver gate.
Architect
Structural Engineer
Geotechnical Engineer
Historic Consultant
Energy Consultant
Landscape Design
General Contractor
Metal Facade design
Metal Facade fabrication
Metal Facade installation
Photography
American Institute of Architects San Francisco
More than two decades ago, a couple purchased two adjacent properties in Russian Hill, settling into the existing house while using the neighboring lot as their yard. Over time, they raised a family there—living with the site as it was, and gradually imagining what it might become.
When they were ready to act, they returned to the project with ambitions shaped by both experience and their own design backgrounds. One of the clients, an architect with whom we had previously worked, brought a familiarity with both process and discipline. The project emerged through a shared dialogue—grounded in the realities of the site and an accumulated understanding of how they wanted to live.
The developed lot was previously occupied by a carriage house and functioned as the primary outdoor space. With the new construction, that open space is re-established at the roof—shifting the yard from the ground plane to the top of the house.
Rather than a conventional hardscape deck, the roof is given over to a planted garden, extending the living environment vertically and introducing a softer landscape five levels above the street.
Within the house, a central vertical void draws light deep into the interior. Rather than relying on perimeter openings, daylight is pulled from within—moving through the full height of the space and connecting each level. Rooms are arranged in relation to this volume, shifting between compression and release as light changes in intensity and depth.
At the street, the project is defined by a continuous metal screen—an expanded interpretation of the ubiquitous security gate. Developed through a series of prototypes and fabricated in collaboration with a metal craftsman using standard aluminum sections, the screen becomes both enclosure and identity. Its pattern is derived from the family’s tartan, abstracted and translated into three dimensions. By day, it filters light and views; by night, it casts and reflects its pattern outward—at times quietly, at times more pronounced, depending on the light.
The architecture is held in restraint, providing a quiet framework for daily life and the accumulation of objects and narratives. Within it, the interiors take on a different register—layered with references drawn from gaming and speculative worlds, reflecting one client’s transition from architecture into game design, and set against the calm of the surrounding space.
The result is a house shaped by time, collaboration, and the interplay between discipline and imagination—revealed in light, in pattern, and in the glow through the silver gate.
Architect
Structural Engineer
Geotechnical Engineer
Historic Consultant
Energy Consultant
Landscape Design
General Contractor
Metal Facade design
Metal Facade fabrication
Metal Facade installation
Photography
American Institute of Architects San Francisco
More than two decades ago, a couple purchased two adjacent properties in Russian Hill, settling into the existing house while using the neighboring lot as their yard. Over time, they raised a family there—living with the site as it was, and gradually imagining what it might become.
When they were ready to act, they returned to the project with ambitions shaped by both experience and their own design backgrounds. One of the clients, an architect with whom we had previously worked, brought a familiarity with both process and discipline. The project emerged through a shared dialogue—grounded in the realities of the site and an accumulated understanding of how they wanted to live.
The developed lot was previously occupied by a carriage house and functioned as the primary outdoor space. With the new construction, that open space is re-established at the roof—shifting the yard from the ground plane to the top of the house.
Rather than a conventional hardscape deck, the roof is given over to a planted garden, extending the living environment vertically and introducing a softer landscape five levels above the street.
Within the house, a central vertical void draws light deep into the interior. Rather than relying on perimeter openings, daylight is pulled from within—moving through the full height of the space and connecting each level. Rooms are arranged in relation to this volume, shifting between compression and release as light changes in intensity and depth.
At the street, the project is defined by a continuous metal screen—an expanded interpretation of the ubiquitous security gate. Developed through a series of prototypes and fabricated in collaboration with a metal craftsman using standard aluminum sections, the screen becomes both enclosure and identity. Its pattern is derived from the family’s tartan, abstracted and translated into three dimensions. By day, it filters light and views; by night, it casts and reflects its pattern outward—at times quietly, at times more pronounced, depending on the light.
The architecture is held in restraint, providing a quiet framework for daily life and the accumulation of objects and narratives. Within it, the interiors take on a different register—layered with references drawn from gaming and speculative worlds, reflecting one client’s transition from architecture into game design, and set against the calm of the surrounding space.
The result is a house shaped by time, collaboration, and the interplay between discipline and imagination—revealed in light, in pattern, and in the glow through the silver gate.
Architect
Structural Engineer
Geotechnical Engineer
Historic Consultant
Energy Consultant
Landscape Design
General Contractor
Metal Facade design
Metal Facade fabrication
Metal Facade installation
Photography
American Institute of Architects San Francisco
More than two decades ago, a couple purchased two adjacent properties in Russian Hill, settling into the existing house while using the neighboring lot as their yard. Over time, they raised a family there—living with the site as it was, and gradually imagining what it might become.
When they were ready to act, they returned to the project with ambitions shaped by both experience and their own design backgrounds. One of the clients, an architect with whom we had previously worked, brought a familiarity with both process and discipline. The project emerged through a shared dialogue—grounded in the realities of the site and an accumulated understanding of how they wanted to live.
The developed lot was previously occupied by a carriage house and functioned as the primary outdoor space. With the new construction, that open space is re-established at the roof—shifting the yard from the ground plane to the top of the house.
Rather than a conventional hardscape deck, the roof is given over to a planted garden, extending the living environment vertically and introducing a softer landscape five levels above the street.
Within the house, a central vertical void draws light deep into the interior. Rather than relying on perimeter openings, daylight is pulled from within—moving through the full height of the space and connecting each level. Rooms are arranged in relation to this volume, shifting between compression and release as light changes in intensity and depth.
At the street, the project is defined by a continuous metal screen—an expanded interpretation of the ubiquitous security gate. Developed through a series of prototypes and fabricated in collaboration with a metal craftsman using standard aluminum sections, the screen becomes both enclosure and identity. Its pattern is derived from the family’s tartan, abstracted and translated into three dimensions. By day, it filters light and views; by night, it casts and reflects its pattern outward—at times quietly, at times more pronounced, depending on the light.
The architecture is held in restraint, providing a quiet framework for daily life and the accumulation of objects and narratives. Within it, the interiors take on a different register—layered with references drawn from gaming and speculative worlds, reflecting one client’s transition from architecture into game design, and set against the calm of the surrounding space.
The result is a house shaped by time, collaboration, and the interplay between discipline and imagination—revealed in light, in pattern, and in the glow through the silver gate.
Architect
Structural Engineer
Geotechnical Engineer
Historic Consultant
Energy Consultant
Landscape Design
General Contractor
Metal Facade design
Metal Facade fabrication
Metal Facade installation
Photography
American Institute of Architects San Francisco
More than two decades ago, a couple purchased two adjacent properties in Russian Hill, settling into the existing house while using the neighboring lot as their yard. Over time, they raised a family there—living with the site as it was, and gradually imagining what it might become.
When they were ready to act, they returned to the project with ambitions shaped by both experience and their own design backgrounds. One of the clients, an architect with whom we had previously worked, brought a familiarity with both process and discipline. The project emerged through a shared dialogue—grounded in the realities of the site and an accumulated understanding of how they wanted to live.
The developed lot was previously occupied by a carriage house and functioned as the primary outdoor space. With the new construction, that open space is re-established at the roof—shifting the yard from the ground plane to the top of the house.
Rather than a conventional hardscape deck, the roof is given over to a planted garden, extending the living environment vertically and introducing a softer landscape five levels above the street.
Within the house, a central vertical void draws light deep into the interior. Rather than relying on perimeter openings, daylight is pulled from within—moving through the full height of the space and connecting each level. Rooms are arranged in relation to this volume, shifting between compression and release as light changes in intensity and depth.
At the street, the project is defined by a continuous metal screen—an expanded interpretation of the ubiquitous security gate. Developed through a series of prototypes and fabricated in collaboration with a metal craftsman using standard aluminum sections, the screen becomes both enclosure and identity. Its pattern is derived from the family’s tartan, abstracted and translated into three dimensions. By day, it filters light and views; by night, it casts and reflects its pattern outward—at times quietly, at times more pronounced, depending on the light.
The architecture is held in restraint, providing a quiet framework for daily life and the accumulation of objects and narratives. Within it, the interiors take on a different register—layered with references drawn from gaming and speculative worlds, reflecting one client’s transition from architecture into game design, and set against the calm of the surrounding space.
The result is a house shaped by time, collaboration, and the interplay between discipline and imagination—revealed in light, in pattern, and in the glow through the silver gate.
Architect
Structural Engineer
Geotechnical Engineer
Historic Consultant
Energy Consultant
Landscape Design
General Contractor
Metal Facade design
Metal Facade fabrication
Metal Facade installation
Photography
American Institute of Architects San Francisco
More than two decades ago, a couple purchased two adjacent properties in Russian Hill, settling into the existing house while using the neighboring lot as their yard. Over time, they raised a family there—living with the site as it was, and gradually imagining what it might become.
When they were ready to act, they returned to the project with ambitions shaped by both experience and their own design backgrounds. One of the clients, an architect with whom we had previously worked, brought a familiarity with both process and discipline. The project emerged through a shared dialogue—grounded in the realities of the site and an accumulated understanding of how they wanted to live.
The developed lot was previously occupied by a carriage house and functioned as the primary outdoor space. With the new construction, that open space is re-established at the roof—shifting the yard from the ground plane to the top of the house.
Rather than a conventional hardscape deck, the roof is given over to a planted garden, extending the living environment vertically and introducing a softer landscape five levels above the street.
Within the house, a central vertical void draws light deep into the interior. Rather than relying on perimeter openings, daylight is pulled from within—moving through the full height of the space and connecting each level. Rooms are arranged in relation to this volume, shifting between compression and release as light changes in intensity and depth.
At the street, the project is defined by a continuous metal screen—an expanded interpretation of the ubiquitous security gate. Developed through a series of prototypes and fabricated in collaboration with a metal craftsman using standard aluminum sections, the screen becomes both enclosure and identity. Its pattern is derived from the family’s tartan, abstracted and translated into three dimensions. By day, it filters light and views; by night, it casts and reflects its pattern outward—at times quietly, at times more pronounced, depending on the light.
The architecture is held in restraint, providing a quiet framework for daily life and the accumulation of objects and narratives. Within it, the interiors take on a different register—layered with references drawn from gaming and speculative worlds, reflecting one client’s transition from architecture into game design, and set against the calm of the surrounding space.
The result is a house shaped by time, collaboration, and the interplay between discipline and imagination—revealed in light, in pattern, and in the glow through the silver gate.
Architect
Structural Engineer
Geotechnical Engineer
Historic Consultant
Energy Consultant
Landscape Design
General Contractor
Metal Facade design
Metal Facade fabrication
Metal Facade installation
Photography
American Institute of Architects San Francisco
More than two decades ago, a couple purchased two adjacent properties in Russian Hill, settling into the existing house while using the neighboring lot as their yard. Over time, they raised a family there—living with the site as it was, and gradually imagining what it might become.
When they were ready to act, they returned to the project with ambitions shaped by both experience and their own design backgrounds. One of the clients, an architect with whom we had previously worked, brought a familiarity with both process and discipline. The project emerged through a shared dialogue—grounded in the realities of the site and an accumulated understanding of how they wanted to live.
The developed lot was previously occupied by a carriage house and functioned as the primary outdoor space. With the new construction, that open space is re-established at the roof—shifting the yard from the ground plane to the top of the house.
Rather than a conventional hardscape deck, the roof is given over to a planted garden, extending the living environment vertically and introducing a softer landscape five levels above the street.
Within the house, a central vertical void draws light deep into the interior. Rather than relying on perimeter openings, daylight is pulled from within—moving through the full height of the space and connecting each level. Rooms are arranged in relation to this volume, shifting between compression and release as light changes in intensity and depth.
At the street, the project is defined by a continuous metal screen—an expanded interpretation of the ubiquitous security gate. Developed through a series of prototypes and fabricated in collaboration with a metal craftsman using standard aluminum sections, the screen becomes both enclosure and identity. Its pattern is derived from the family’s tartan, abstracted and translated into three dimensions. By day, it filters light and views; by night, it casts and reflects its pattern outward—at times quietly, at times more pronounced, depending on the light.
The architecture is held in restraint, providing a quiet framework for daily life and the accumulation of objects and narratives. Within it, the interiors take on a different register—layered with references drawn from gaming and speculative worlds, reflecting one client’s transition from architecture into game design, and set against the calm of the surrounding space.
The result is a house shaped by time, collaboration, and the interplay between discipline and imagination—revealed in light, in pattern, and in the glow through the silver gate.
Architect
Structural Engineer
Geotechnical Engineer
Historic Consultant
Energy Consultant
Landscape Design
General Contractor
Metal Facade design
Metal Facade fabrication
Metal Facade installation
Photography
American Institute of Architects San Francisco
More than two decades ago, a couple purchased two adjacent properties in Russian Hill, settling into the existing house while using the neighboring lot as their yard. Over time, they raised a family there—living with the site as it was, and gradually imagining what it might become.
When they were ready to act, they returned to the project with ambitions shaped by both experience and their own design backgrounds. One of the clients, an architect with whom we had previously worked, brought a familiarity with both process and discipline. The project emerged through a shared dialogue—grounded in the realities of the site and an accumulated understanding of how they wanted to live.
The developed lot was previously occupied by a carriage house and functioned as the primary outdoor space. With the new construction, that open space is re-established at the roof—shifting the yard from the ground plane to the top of the house.
Rather than a conventional hardscape deck, the roof is given over to a planted garden, extending the living environment vertically and introducing a softer landscape five levels above the street.
Within the house, a central vertical void draws light deep into the interior. Rather than relying on perimeter openings, daylight is pulled from within—moving through the full height of the space and connecting each level. Rooms are arranged in relation to this volume, shifting between compression and release as light changes in intensity and depth.
At the street, the project is defined by a continuous metal screen—an expanded interpretation of the ubiquitous security gate. Developed through a series of prototypes and fabricated in collaboration with a metal craftsman using standard aluminum sections, the screen becomes both enclosure and identity. Its pattern is derived from the family’s tartan, abstracted and translated into three dimensions. By day, it filters light and views; by night, it casts and reflects its pattern outward—at times quietly, at times more pronounced, depending on the light.
The architecture is held in restraint, providing a quiet framework for daily life and the accumulation of objects and narratives. Within it, the interiors take on a different register—layered with references drawn from gaming and speculative worlds, reflecting one client’s transition from architecture into game design, and set against the calm of the surrounding space.
The result is a house shaped by time, collaboration, and the interplay between discipline and imagination—revealed in light, in pattern, and in the glow through the silver gate.
Architect
Structural Engineer
Geotechnical Engineer
Historic Consultant
Energy Consultant
Landscape Design
General Contractor
Metal Facade design
Metal Facade fabrication
Metal Facade installation
Photography
American Institute of Architects San Francisco
More than two decades ago, a couple purchased two adjacent properties in Russian Hill, settling into the existing house while using the neighboring lot as their yard. Over time, they raised a family there—living with the site as it was, and gradually imagining what it might become.
When they were ready to act, they returned to the project with ambitions shaped by both experience and their own design backgrounds. One of the clients, an architect with whom we had previously worked, brought a familiarity with both process and discipline. The project emerged through a shared dialogue—grounded in the realities of the site and an accumulated understanding of how they wanted to live.
The developed lot was previously occupied by a carriage house and functioned as the primary outdoor space. With the new construction, that open space is re-established at the roof—shifting the yard from the ground plane to the top of the house.
Rather than a conventional hardscape deck, the roof is given over to a planted garden, extending the living environment vertically and introducing a softer landscape five levels above the street.
Within the house, a central vertical void draws light deep into the interior. Rather than relying on perimeter openings, daylight is pulled from within—moving through the full height of the space and connecting each level. Rooms are arranged in relation to this volume, shifting between compression and release as light changes in intensity and depth.
At the street, the project is defined by a continuous metal screen—an expanded interpretation of the ubiquitous security gate. Developed through a series of prototypes and fabricated in collaboration with a metal craftsman using standard aluminum sections, the screen becomes both enclosure and identity. Its pattern is derived from the family’s tartan, abstracted and translated into three dimensions. By day, it filters light and views; by night, it casts and reflects its pattern outward—at times quietly, at times more pronounced, depending on the light.
The architecture is held in restraint, providing a quiet framework for daily life and the accumulation of objects and narratives. Within it, the interiors take on a different register—layered with references drawn from gaming and speculative worlds, reflecting one client’s transition from architecture into game design, and set against the calm of the surrounding space.
The result is a house shaped by time, collaboration, and the interplay between discipline and imagination—revealed in light, in pattern, and in the glow through the silver gate.
