Fundamental Site Challenges That Enhanced The Design

The site for the Oshry Residence was the fundamental protagonist of the project’s design, requiring creative solutions to complex environmental factors. Strict zoning guidelines for hillside lots, poor soil conditions, dynamic programmatic requirements, desired adjacencies, and wide panoramic views posed critical challenges to the building’s occupation of the site, but both client and architect envisioned the remarkable possibilities that the site offered, were the challenges overcome. The combined interaction of these forces resulted in a linear building configuration of two enfilade blocks connected by a bridge across a minimally landscaped courtyard. Given the size of the program (5,000 SF), an arrangement that could have presented livability challenges in actuality became an opportunity to integrate the outdoors into the structure through a series of interior/exterior spatial penetrations. In addition, the longitudinal orientation of the house vis-à-vis the site created a highly charged east elevation, and numerous vantage points from within the house across the dramatic landscape below.

The Oshry Residence facade is straightforwardly articulated, boldly featuring the clean volumetric and programmatic elements of the structure. It is from the internal strip of space, parallel to the east facade, that one orients oneself physically within the house and visually to the surroundings. Elements such as the circulation bridge, stone screen wall, and retracting wood panels are derived from this organization. The end result is a scheme that resolves the inherent complexities of the site with the desired living conditions of the client, and furthers existing notions of materiality and transparency with seamless integration.

The Oshry Residence integrates major design elements with passive shading and ventilation functions, for maximum energy efficiency. Stone louvers on the first floor shade the living room without obstructing views. The glass bridge on the second floor uses operable windows that can be opened during hotter days, letting the warmer air escape from the second-story space, quickly cooling the rooms below.