This design for a spec home on a site in Orinda CA, on a site that within a ridgeline zone, a special area of high visibilty that necessitated a more careful approach to siting and materials. The home was designed to allow a very old and interesting California Live Oak tree to form the focal point of the exterior courtyard. The L-shaped courtyard form of the home rested around a peak in the elevation on the site, modulating the heights and directions of the roofs to reflect the underlying terrain.

The design was a model of the hillside guidelines, with sloping roofs that follow the form of the hillside and a linear design that minimizes views of the home from across the valley.

The work was completed in collaboration with Ed Detmer, owner of BDE Architects in San Francisco.

Greg was on the original design team, was the project manager on a redesign several years later, and is the architect and lead designer for the most recent reworking of the design.

ARCHITECT / DESIGNER: ellipsis a+d / Gregory Klosowski

ARCHITECT / DESIGNER: BDE Architects / Ed Detmer

MODELS AND RENDERINGS: ellipsis a+d / Gregory Klosowski