Beacon House
San Francisco, Calif.
Fougeron Architecture

A unique use of transparency unites urbanity and nature

© Todd Aranaz / Anne Tipp

For more photos click on 'photos & drawings' above.

In remodeling a sprawling house in the hills of San Francisco, Fougeron Architecture sought to use three major architectural concepts: transparency, temporality, and verticality. The result is the Beacon Street residence, a house that has the best of both nature and urbanity, panoramic views of the city’s downtown skyline and a design that is sensitive to and dependent on the natural elements.

The focal point of the house is a central stair volume made of dichroic glass, meaning glass that produces two colors. This material’s transparency and chromatic scale vary throughout the day due to the changes in natural light, creating hues of coral and lime green. Therefore, each space that adjoins the central stair shares a common wall of this glass and further disseminates the tinted light. The Beacon Street residence’s play on transparency is enhanced by a varied use of a double skin of terra cotta baguettes. Placed close together, these 2’ by 2’ pieces of terra cotta produce an opaque effect; however, when placed with more space between them, the terra cotta’s effect is less dense and adds a hint of transparency.

The use of natural light to alter the presence of the house emphasizes the design’s temporality. As the architects note: “ The phenomenal passing of time becomes integral to the interior space as the glass stair tracks the daily path of the sun, creating a time piece of color.”

The central stair also functions to highlight the vertical nature of the site. By organizing the rooms of the house according to the central stair volume, the movement of light emphasizes the verticality of the space. It is the vertical nature of the design that perfectly complements it’s strong horizontal lines and adds an urban flavor to a house concerned with nature.

Formal name of building:
Beacon House

Location:
San Francisco, Calif.

Gross square footage:
6000 sq. ft.

Architect:
Fougeron Architecture
720 York Street #107
San Francisco, CA 94110
P: 415-641-5744
F: 415-282-6434

Partner in charge:
Anne Fougeron

Design Team:
Todd Aranaz, Anne Tipp, Ryan Murphy, Vivian Dwyer, Michael Pierry

Renderer(s)
Todd Aranaz / Anne Tipp

CAD system, project management, or other software used
Vectorworks www.nemetschek.net, Form-z www.formz.com

Structural system
wood & steel construction