House Renovation | Open Box House | Feldman Arhitecture

Emerging from humble beginnings, Open Box was transformed from a run-of-the-mill 1950s vinyl-clad box into a contemporary family home that takes advantage of its site. The original house was detached on three sides and perched on a lot with panoramic views, but its small windows and dark rooms ignored the hillside location and potential for views.

The unfinished lower floor made no effort to connect to the large undeveloped yard.
Interior walls were removed to create a large open plan that centers on a sleek new kitchen and floor-to-ceiling windows were installed to offer stunning downtown views. To the previously unfinished lower floor a new entry was added, along with a guest suite and a large family room where glass walls roll away to connect the inside to a newly landscaped deck and yard. The clean modern house is warmed by the generous use of dark stained woods and rich tiles and by its strong connection to lush landscape. Steel and aluminum accents and details contribute to its clean design........more

Mountain House | House Ocho | Santa Lucia Mountains | Feldman Architecture

Located in a nature preserve in the Santa Lucia Mountains, the site of oak forests and steep meadows strongly impacted and inspired Feldman Architecture’s design for House Ocho. In order to reduce the impact of the home’s massing and to preserve site lines, the building settles into the ground and overhanging roofs are planted with tall native grasses. The house is also divided up into a series of pavilions to lessen its overall mass.

After passing through an entry grove, visitors can see distant views between and over the various building elements. As they are drawn into the widening view, they are led down from the tree-lined ridge to a large terrace that serves as an outdoor living room for the house. Nearly every room has wide doors that open to the land allowing the modest home to feel much more spacious.

Sustainable House | 2 Bar home | Menlo Park | California | Feldman Architecture

The 2 Bar home in Menlo Park, California represents a very cost-conscious design and implementation of green materials and technologies for a couple with two young children. The new residence replaced an awkward and inefficient structure which sat in disrepair with a smart, sustainable, open home that embraced the family’s indoor/outdoor lifestyle.
The 2 Bar concept floats a bedroom bar above and perpendicular to a living bar, an arrangement that allows both spaces to open up to more light than the typical box. The lower, living level features accordion and lift/slide doors which allow the house to open to a generous backyard and garden. A private, green roof with deck allows the upper level to also have a connection to garden and landscape. The horizontal slats that clad the upper bar create a simple and elegant rain screen and provide operable panels over the windows that can be easily moved to control light and privacy. A compact and efficient layout, along with several sustainable materials and systems, were included to meet the clients’ concern for cost and environmental consciousness, including sustainable flooring and a photovoltaic array.......more