A difficult, up-sloping site is the hallmark and inspiration behind the innovative design ideas of this urban in-fill project. With very few empty lots remaining in this sector of San Francisco, there was an opportunity to purchase the land, design and bring a project to market. 

At street level the first of the two homes is clearly visible. This is the larger of the two homes built on the site and is designed as three floors over a shared garage. Entering through the humble front gate begins the reveal of the interstice of the exterior, open-sky stairway which connects all the way up-slope to the rear house. Only upon ascent does the complexity and dynamic stacking of the structures reveal itself–interrupted by moments of contained landscape. Arriving at the first landing is the entry door for the front house. The tall, poured-in-place concrete retaining wall defines this skylit entry space which opens to a double height an interior foyer where light pours in through double height windows, the perforated stair core and from the main/public rooms of the upper floor. The house is laid out as two bedrooms, bathrooms and familyroom at the entry level, main floor with kitchen, dining and living room. The top level holds the primary bedroom, bathroom and roof terrace–all floors have stunning city views.

Continuing up the exterior stairway reveals that the two homes are separated by a large, mid-lot landscaped garden. This ‘stacked’ house proximity enables the units a shared landscaped patio and the uncompromising views of San Francisco the patio level and from each of the homes in their own right.

Stepping through the patio into the rear house the internal stair core connects the three level, the three bedroom home. An additional exterior terrace at the back which allows for daylighting Even though the two homes are different in character inside and out in exterior and interior materials which define each individually, common design elements were important to create an aesthetic connection;  custom cor-ten detailing, stucco, aluminum standing seam paneling, floor-to-ceiling windows, glass guard railings. Interior finishes are defined by mild steel, perforated steel and different wood species.