Ogawa Fisher Architects outfits California house with underground workshop

Local studio Ogawa Fisher Architects has completed a wedge-shaped California house with skylights, board-formed concrete walls, and a submerged workshop with a functioning car lift.

The House of Light and Shadow spans 7,600 square feet (706 square metres) in Los Altos, California. Ogawa Fisher Architects, which is based in nearby Palo Alto, wanted to "balance the interplay of natural light and materials" in its design of the house.

"It is a modern sanctuary on a suburban cul-de-sac – a secret oasis for a family with a passion for design, functionality and sustainability," the studio said.

The form was driven by the wedge shape of the site, which disallowed the architect studio from going with a structure centred on the parcel – it would create residual space without a proper yard.

Instead, the team staggered three volumes that minimised the home's frontage to respond to the neighbourhood fabric, while maximising space and preserving nearly all of the trees on site.

The southern form is composed of a rectangular bar shape that aligns a large primary suite with a home office. The northern block holds a divided garage and a secondary bedroom.

"By fanning out the bedrooms along the sides of the property, a long and generous rear yard emerged, with an opportunity for each space to have a secluded outdoor area designed for reflection and rejuvenation," the team said.

The intermediary space – an entry that steps up into a great room with an open kitchen, dining and living space – bridges the wings and opens the public areas to a patio yard through large sliding glass doors.

"The open-plan great room serves as the heart of the home, fostering togetherness with its bright, airy design," the studio said. "Expansive windows and skylights draw in sunlight, while deep overhangs and automated shades create a dance of light and shadow that shifts throughout the day."

The design emphasises the transitions between communal and private space with changes in light and material. A monumental board-formed wall divides the great room from the bedroom bar and guides light from a skylight into an open-tread staircase with the help of a glazed railing.

While the upper level is divided into thirds, the basement level is split in half. The southern portion contains an additional suite, office, entertainment room and storage, while the northern half contains an expansive workshop.

Midway through pandemic-era construction, the owner opted not to rent a separate commercial space for his design and engineering work. Instead, the team installed a double-height subterranean studio complete with a custom telescoping car lift that rises to the garage and a rolling, glass garage door that raises to access a sunken courtyard bringing light in from above.

The underground aspect opens into a submerged patio[/caption]

Other recently completed California houses include a blocky, fire-resistant residence in Malibu by Lorcan O'Herlihy, a chiseled stone house by Field Architecture that overlooks Big Sur and a glazed 1973 Ray Kappe design remodelled by OWIU Design.

The photography is by Joe Fletcher.

Project credits:

Architecture: Ogawa Fisher Architects
Project teams: Hiromi Ogawa , Lynn Fisher, Sucharitha Yelimeli, Anna Zamora, Catherine Nelson
Contractor: MN Builders
Structural engineer: BKG Structural Engineers
MEP: Monterey Energy Group
Geotechnical: Romig Engineers
Civil: Precision Engineering

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