The Phoenix

Perched on a rocky outcrop in the Oakland Hills, the house responds to a site shaped equally by panoramic views across the Bay and by the lasting memory of the 1991 Oakland Hills Fire.

The home moves between two scales of landscape: intimate garden rooms connected directly to the interior and long views toward San Francisco, Oakland, and the bridges beyond. Ground-face concrete block and charred cedar give architectural expression to the history of the site, recalling the masonry foundations and chimneys that remained standing after the fire.

The result is a home that feels both grounded and far-reaching—rooted in the particular history of its site while opening outward to the larger geography of the Bay Area.

Images by Mir