Pub. 3 2015 Directory

28 THE MONTANA ARCHITECT | 2015 | www.aia-mt.org The Wedge House Citation Award T he Wedge House was designed to be slid onto the narrow leg of an L-shaped lot, with frontage on two streets, in an established neighborhood in Palo Alto, California. Our clients, who occupied a large Victorian on one leg of the “L,” where they had raised a family, hired us to design a house on the adjacent leg. The landscape design is meant – at the present – to weave the two houses together. The basic programwas straightforward: an energy-efficient house that merges landscape with architecture, welcoming the outdoors in and visa versa. Though the house was initially designed to accommodate extended family, through the design process it became clear that this house could become a smaller, contemporary alternative to our client’s old, three-story Victorian. Triangular in section, the house is literally a wedge. The functional shape slopes up to the northwest, interrupted by dormers and skylights that admit light and expel heat. The narrow building footprint and the continuity of several spaces below a single roof allow breezes to easily ventilate the entire space, as operable windows and large, bi-fold doors open the house to varying degrees. Well-shaded windows keep most of the glare and solar heat gain out, while allowing views and light to fill the house. Skylights at the entry animate the east wall as the sun moves across the sky, and light the stair to the rooms below. With the goal of living outdoors, we took advantage of the Mediterranean climate by designing three outdoor rooms that are defined by a combination of Project Location: Palo Alto, California Principal Architect: Richard Fernau, FAIA Project Architect: Laura Boutelle Firm: Fernau & Hartman Architects, Inc. Main Office: 2512 Ninth Street, #2 Berkeley, CA 94710 Phone: 510-848-4480 Field Office: 506 Miles Street Clyde Park, MT 59018 Website: fernauhartman.com