This contemporary home is located on a sloping site in Sumner Hill, overlooking the city of Fresno. The clients grew fond of this valley viewpoint, and a design emerged that would entertain the clients’ needs; incorporate green technology while accentuating the seamless connection to the Valley.
In the entry court, visitors are welcomed by a 60 foot long reflection pond and soft sounds of running water.
The principal architectural character of the house is felt through the many apertures that are filled with clear glass, allowing the eyesight to stretch outward unencumbered. Each room in the home frames a specific view – either daylight views of the surrounding landscape or to the evening lights of the city beyond.
Standing within the foyer, the house feels light and airy, featuring an open plan among the kitchen, family, dining, and living rooms. As the pivotal centerpiece among these rooms, a horizontal fireplace rests below a glass panel. Visitors enter through the Foyer and into the living room onto a travertine floor, while allowing sight and sun to bathe the senses through glass walls around and a glazed clerestory roof above. Furthermore, the living room’s terrace offers a breathtaking, unobstructed view to the land below and city beyond. The terrace and accompanying concrete piers accentuate and extend the eye outward with views into this landscape.
Piers, walls and other architectural features screen adjacent properties and frame specific views favored by the clients.
Tones and textures of interior finishes are delicate, using cherry-stained wood cabinets, travertine flooring, soft colored and textured walls, and stainless steel throughout. The textures of these materials, strategically placed water elements, and views of natural surroundings of the site, combined with the compositional interplay of light and horizon, fulfills the character of living space sought by the clients.
Solar tempering through building placement and fenestration allow for maximum view opportunities while minimizing unfavorable western sun and heat penetration. Ventable windows allow welcome evening breezes to cross through the home at the clients’ discretion.
The south terrace running the entire width of the home, is covered by a 20 foot cantilevered canopy supported by 6 foot x 10 foot concrete piers. The pool on the south edge of the terrace reflects the distant city lights.
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