The Sanctuary is sited quietly behind the large heritage oak tree with its canopy stretching across the generously sized front yard. After passing under its branches, guests are lead through a series of courtyards and view gardens that weave through the undulating footprint of the building. Each interior space is paired with its own landscape moment, allowing the architecture and landscape to flow into each other. The structure floats on piers, allowing the building to participate in dialogue with the trees on site while protecting the root areas. The floor plate projects beyond the building envelope and dissolves into balconies to blur the sense of indoor/outdoor while at the same time lifting the building up from the ground. Even the driveway is constructed out of floating concrete structural slabs supported on piers to minimize the impact on the heritage oak tree. A thoughtfully placed second story apartment is designed for rentals. Diffused natural light streams into the space throughout the day, working gently with the clean material palette of concrete and Alaskan yellow cedar. The Sanctuary was constructed as a modern house that allows the landscape to speak first. The design features its many hidden courtyards, inviting guests to experience the same sense of wonder that first drew our clients to this urban oasis. Project name: The Sanctuary House Architects: Feldman Architecture – http://www.feldmanarchitecture.com/ Location: Palo Alto, California, United States Area: 4289 ft² Year: 2019 Photographer: Joe Fletcher – http://www.joefletcherphoto.com/ Interiors: Feldman Architecture Landscape Architects: Ground Studio Arborist: Urban Tree Management Structural Engineer: Strandberg Engineering Lighting: Kim Cladas Lighting Design Builder: Baywest Builders Geotechincal Engineer: Romig Engineers Inc. Civil Engineer: BKF Engineers AWARDS & RECOGNITION Residential Honor Award, AIA Silicon Valley Design Awards, 2018 Honor Award, IIDA Northern California Awards, 2020 Custom Urban Home Citation Award, Residential Design Magazine Awards, 2020
