Conceived as a modern interpretation of the traditional San Francisco townhouse, this home for an avid art collector honors the Bay Area’s legacy of craftsmanship while creating a progressive environment for contemporary living. Situated on a sloping hillside, the home’s exterior has two distinct personalities. 

The front facade is modest-in-scale, taking proportional cues from the neighboring homes. The proportioning lines were abstracted and subtly sculpted as if a bas-relief. Poured-in-place concrete masses are complemented by a delicate wooden brise-soleil. This slatted solar shade acts as a privacy screen from passerby while affording the occupant with views of the tree-lined street. Inspired by the articulate nature of the surrounding Victorian homes, the brise-soleil is defined by manipulating the depth of its lattice elements. 

The rear facade is four stories of glass with panoramic views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island and the Palace of Fine Arts. The lowest floor opens up to landscaped oasis that splits into three smaller gardens as the terrain follows the hillside. The home is a series of massive concrete planes and rich wood floors that play counterpoint to full-height windows and doors. These openings act as sculpting tools for the variable light conditions. The brise-soleil transforms harsh southern sunlight into a filigree of light and shadow, providing passive light and reducing the use of artificial lighting. Raking light streams through the slot windows, transforming stairs into a textural experience. 

The entry sequence creates an intentional contrast in scale and texture. Two concrete walls form an intimate pathway toward the heroic wooden front door. Upon entering one encounters a two-story dining and living room that frames views of the San Francisco Bay. 

Inside, the warmth of the hand-scraped oak floors complements the permanence of the smooth-formed concrete walls. A walnut and stainless-steel kitchen fits seamlessly next to the dining room. Hidden in one of the walls of cabinetry are five translucent glass doors that slide out to create a privacy screen between the kitchen and dining room. Suspended above the dining table is a 13-foot-tall sculpture that doubles as a dining pendant. This custom, interactive art installation is a series of floating glass tubes that evoke a flock of birds in flight. 

The punctured ceiling plain allows a large, walkable skylight to filter sunlight into the home. A stainless steel and wooden bridge leads out to the study suspended above the living room. With its inherently raised prospect, the office has commanding landscape views. Two mahogany and glass pivot doors define the northern face of the living room. When opened, the living room and its adjoining cantilevered deck become one with the all-encompassing Bay. 

There was an emphatic focus on creating not the 25-year home but the 200-year home—one that is impeccably crafted out of materials that will age gracefully.