Oakland House

Oakland, CA, United States

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Oakland House

Oakland, CA, United States

Type

Residential › Private House

YEAR

2007

SIZE

3000 sqft - 5000 sqft

This Bay Area home situated on a down-sloping site in Oakland, California, was designed to capture the magnificent vistas spanning from the BayBridge to the Golden Gate. The clients wanted to create a dream home for their life as empty nesters, but still desired accommodations for their kids and other frequent guests. Thus, the four-bedroom home was planned as two volumes connected by a glass enclosed bridge.
The two-story lower structure is all about the view and open plan living. On the upper level, the kitchen, dining, and living rooms are open to one another. The master suite sits below, opening up to an outdoor terrace and infinity pool. The secondary volume, facing the street, has a glass carport, three guest rooms, and a recreation room.
Concrete floors, steel and glass window systems, and a mostly white composition define a minimalist composition. Color is introduced through a pale blue plaster, herringbone-toweled exterior scratch coat, landscaping, artwork, and borrowed dramatic views.
The building?s bowed walls?an hourglass in plan?serve to create a visual compression, which has the effect of a volume being squeezed in the center and opening to the view on the glazed fades.