High above the City of Oakland, at the summit of the hills in the Montclair District, is a spectacularly situated property that offers complete seclusion from neighbors and the urban fray, but with a panoramic view of the entire San Francisco Bay. A narrow mesa at this summit affords a perfect location for a new home with a large, flat yard – which is a rare commodity in the hills, where most homes are built on steep grades. On the west side of this lot, is the open expanse of the San Francisco Bay view. On the east side is the East Bay Regional Park system. Together, these create a feeling of being surrounded by wide open space and nature.

The house also calls back to the efficiency of home construction in the post-war era and embraces the rationality of modernism. A wide roof overhang shields the house from overheating throughout the year, making large picture-windows possible. A system of operable panels along the top perimeter of the house allows passive ventilation to keep the house cool by way of bay breezes.  

We have proposed for this lot, a simple “post and beam” house, laid out in a six-foot grid. This simple form creates a long rectangle, where every space has a connection to the vast openness of the view and surrounding nature. Simplicity and elegance are often compliments of each other. This house achieves a sense of elegance and serenity by blending in with its hillside setting, connecting the occupants to the land around them, and celebrating what’s already there.