San Francisco studio Aidlin Darling Design has wrapped concrete and cedar panels around the L|J Residence in Atherton, California, which was designed to support multigenerational living.
The recently completed 6,466-square-feet (600-square-metre) L|J Residence sits on a flat one-acre site surrounded by a grove of heritage oaks.
“This residence doesn’t simply rest on the land; it sculpts the ground plane itself, becoming a natural extension of the terra firma rather than an imposition on it,” Joshua Aidlin, a founding partner of Aidlin Darling Design, told Dezeen.
“We conceived of this home as a bas relief, creating a rich network of dynamic relationships between inside and out, and allowing the home to support biophilic connections to the natural landscape.”
The project was first conceived as a small sculpture that “composed light, framed and encircled nature, responded to the context and carved into the landscape”, Aidlin explained.
The studio drew inspiration from the surrounding oak grove when designing the house.
“Our goal was to design a residence that created topography and intricacy in the vertical plane, while benefiting from reciprocity with the site’s innate features,” it said.
L|R Residence is composed of cast-in-place concrete, cedar-clad enclosures and steel frames – all of which were sourced regionally and installed by local craftspeople.
“These materials both advance the tectonic language of the building form and provide a durable, low-maintenance enclosure,” the studio said.
A central feature of the design is the concrete bas relief that transfers from the facade into the double-height living room, creating a material continuity from the exterior to the interior.
Additionally, the cedar siding wraps from the upper level of the exterior into the internal ceilings and walls.
“The effect is subtly porous, creating a sense that you’re always outdoors,” the studio said.
The home was arranged to support multigenerational living with gathering spaces, sightlines to supervise young children, and privacy for different family members.
A large open living space with a lounge area, dining room and kitchen serves as the heart of the home, while a separate accessory dwelling unit allows for flexible living situations over time.
Each space was designed to engage with the surrounding landscape and pose the outdoors as an extension of the home.
“The family believes that this home will inspire the children to become stewards of the land,” the studio said.
The home’s primary facades are oriented north and south to optimise the thermal mass of the concrete, ventilation through the floor-to-ceiling glass sliding doors and views. A brise-soleil shades the southern facade and filters indirect light into the house.
Meanwhile, skylights and light-wells bring sunlight into the floorplates and offer views of the trees overhead.
The house is primarily powered by a rooftop photovoltaic array and heated through a radiant floor system. The HVAC system is limited to the sleeping areas to reduce energy use.
Other homes Aidlin Darling Design recently completed in California include a low-slung dogtrot-style house in Palm Desert and an airy home with cosy nooks in Silicon Valley.
The photography is by Adam Rouse.
Project credits:
Architecture: Aidlin Darling Design
Landscape architecture: Surfacedesign
Interiors: Studio Collins Weir
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