Residential Design Magazine
Citation/Custom Urban House
RO | ROCKETT DESIGN
Hillsborough Residence
Written by Lydia Lee

For one of the San Francisco Bay Area's most exclusive communities, coming up with a design that both the clients and neighbors would be happy with was important. "We had to go through a full design review," notes Zac Rockett, AIA. "This was not an easy project to get approved.

To provide privacy and soften the size of the two-story, L-shaped house, whose long exposure faces the street, the architects developed a layered façade. At the center of the house is a double-height great room, which is shielded at street level by a solid masonry base of linear gray brick. The second story has an articulated skin of stained cedar, which the architects pulled apart in places to create a slatted screen that brings dappled light into the house. "We love exploring this material palette and using the materials in a way that is not traditional to create a facade that is this detailed," says Zac.

The layers that screen the front of the house give way to transparency and openness in back. The interiors lead straight to the backyard and pool, thanks to pocketing glass doors and a concrete floor-_-an indoor-outdoor flooring choice that was specifically requested by the homeowners, who have four young sons. Says Zac, "When everyone is in the great room together, it's pretty lively."