Article : The 'Waverley Place' by Ehrlich Yanai Rhee Chaney Architect
The 'Waverley Place' by Ehrlich Yanai Rhee Chaney Architect
Designed by Ehrlich Yanai Rhee Chaney Architects (@eyrcarchitects).
Located in Palo Alto, California, USA.
Photos by Matthew Millman (@matthewmillmanphoto).
Description by Ehrlich Yanai Rhee Chaney Architects.
Area: 465 m² (5000 ft²).
Designed for a young couple, the 465 m² (5000 ft²) home and 158 m² (1700 ft²) back house sit on a flat 1951 m² (21000 ft²) lot in a 1920's Palo Alto neighborhood (a few blocks away from Steve Jobs' residence).
The architecture is a study in strong simple composition and is museum-like with its highly refined materiality and emphasis on craft. The massing defines solid and void, captures natural light, and connects the indoors with the landscape, seeking to 'experience the outdoors from within.'
The ground floor volumes wrapped in an elongated hand-fired brick from Denmark, emphasizing the horizontality of the architecture that lays solidly on the land. Bronze-trimmed ceiling planes slide between the brick masses, and floor-to-ceiling glazed openings are captured by thin-profiled bronze frames.
In contrast to the grounded brick volumes, the second floor is clad in stainless steel panels and oversized aluminum-framed windows. The lightness and openness of the second floor is nestled among the oak-tree canopies of the site.
At the basement level, a wine cellar and tasting room open to a sunken landscaped courtyard.
A 9m (30ft) by 3m (10ft) continuous pane of glass runs alongside the grand stairwell of floating stone steps, connecting the three levels of the house. Due to the unprecedented size of this glass in residential design, it was custom manufactured in Germany and shipped to California. This dramatic moment in the sequence of progressing through the house helps visitors feel connected to the lush landscape outside.
Inside the house, materials such as a custom leather door and bronze anodized details were selected for their unique craftsman-style quality.
Another custom-designed element is the steel mesh screen that wraps around to enclose the kitchen for privacy, separating this from the more public "guest hosting" areas adjacent. The steel screen slides along a track embedded into the teak slatted ceiling and disappears into the pantry when retracted.
A freestanding structure set deep back into the site is a zen-like fitness/yoga studio as well as a guesthouse with a kitchenette. This dramatic stone mass opens up completely in the center to give the impression of exercising outdoors. The landscape integrates California native plant species, grasses and trees to compliment the materiality of the architecture.
"Creativity is the power to connect the seemingly unconnected." — William Plomer.
The 'Landscape House' by Milad Eshtiyaghi
The '3 Facade, 3 Alternative, 3 Different Materials' by Taj Studio