Tiburon Bay View Residence by Walker Warner Architects

Nestled into an east facing bluff of the Tiburon Peninsula, the two-story residence provides sweeping views of San Francisco Bay while acting as a natural buffer from the road and neighboring houses. Inspired by the client’s appreciation for art and nature, the residence incorporates bold architectural features that convey the element of surprise through unexpected spaces. To conceive the house, the clients chose Walker Warner Architects, a firm renowned for integrating buildings with their surroundings, and Nicole Hollis, a designer noted for elemental interiors enriched with an understated use of luxe materials and bespoke artisanal furnishings.The secluded home was crafted to accommodate visiting friends and a multi-generational family, offering a harmonious balance between private spaces to relax and retreat and public spaces for entertaining and communal activities.
Walker Warner Architects utilized the entire site to develop the feeling of a compound rather than a stand-alone building. The home’s exterior is a combination of vertical red cedar and horizontal zinc siding panels, with doors and windows that have dark bronze anodized aluminum frames. In order to maximize the natural beauty and foliage surrounding the property, the firm implemented “horizontal” architecture that integrates into the terraced landscape. Deep overhangs minimize the structure’s height and help elongate its horizontal shape while asymmetrical window and door arrangements highlight the modern aspects of the residence and provide a rhythm underneath the unifying roof. In response to the steep slope, the low-slung architecture is terraced into the hillside to create fluid indoor-outdoor connections.
The house features two entries, one at the top of the hill allows the couple to depart in the morning from their top-floor bedroom suite, and a formal entry halfway down the hillside where the auto court is located. The main entrance sits a half-level below the upper entrance and is complete with broad stairs, a sunken garden, and a compelling red door to draw guests into the entryway.
Project name: Tiburon Bay View Residence
Architecture firm: Walker Warner Architects
Location: Marin County, California
Photography: Laure Joliet
Principal architect:
Design team: Brooks Walker, Principal. Anne Griffes, Project Manager. Anja Hämäläinen, Job Captain
Collaborators:
Interior design: NICOLEHOLLIS
Built area:
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Design year:
Completion year: 2016
Civil engineer:
Structural engineer:
Environmental & MEP:
Landscape: SCDA and Strata Landscape Architecture
Lighting: Eric Johnson Associates
Supervision:
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Tools used:
Construction: Van Acker Construction
Material: Concrete, Wood, Glass, Steel
Budget: Undisclosed
Client: Private
Status: Built
Typology: Residential › House