Sherman Residence / Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects

May 2009

Uploaded by Nico Saieh — Filed under: Houses ,Selected , California, LOHA, Steel, USA, Wood

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Architects: LOHA Architects
Location: Mill Valley, California, USA
Principal in Charge: Lorcan O’Herlihy
Project Manager: Kuo-Huei Tsai
Project Team: Michael Poirier, Juan Diego Gerscovich, Su Yingzi
Structural Engineer: Paul Francheschi
Client: Tony and Rachel Sherman
Project year: 2005
Constructed Area: 386 sqm
Photographs: © Tim Griffith

The house sits on a south facing hillside on a ridge overlooking the upper Tamalpais Valley and San Francisco Bay beyond. The complexities found in the natural landscape and topography of Mill Valley, with its spiraling movement of folded planes and steep hillsides, established dynamic conditions critical to the direction of the overall architectural solution.

Complexity came in the tethering of the house to the hill. The primary level, which houses the main public spaces, is visually anchored to the site as it bends in plan along natural contour lines. Simultaneously, the house cantilevers over the precipitous incline, its main floor supported by horizontal steel beams. The beams attach to the rear house wall, reinforced for additional strength. In the rear, the house stands on steel columns with diagonal bracing embedded in concrete foundation beams. A composition of floating rain screen wood skin and smooth troweled plaster are innovatively used on the exterior skin to further articulate the geologic conditions of the surrounding valley.

The upper volume folds in section and in plan creating a dynamic dialogue with the main level. This level houses the glass walled master bedroom suite that has panoramic views of the San Francisco Bay.

: site plan

: floor plan

: north elevation

Cite:
Saieh , Nico . "Sherman Residence / Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects" 22 May 2009. ArchDaily. Accessed 08 Feb 2012. <http://www.archdaily.com/22128>

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christos says:

can’t get any better…excelent work, minimalism at its best!!

# May 23, 2009 at 02:35

skubanga says:

it’s a nice building, especially the interior, but with all those unprotected glassfacades to the west it must be heavily airconditioned ?

# May 23, 2009 at 02:56

52 says:

Nice interors but don’t quite understand the canted volume finished in channel glass – would rather be able to go out on that roof and enjoy the view! Could be planted too.
Fin

# May 23, 2009 at 06:23

MJ says:

California typical.

# May 23, 2009 at 12:05

Pazey says:

It’s nice.
Good place for such residence!

# May 23, 2009 at 13:49

Lucas Gray says:

This house is not minimalism at its best. It isn’t even minimalism. The form is rather complex and quite clumsy. The interiors seem alright although it looks as if they are borrowing ideas from steven holl with the pattern of window frames in some of those images.

# May 24, 2009 at 04:13

oreille says: