Turner Residence by Jensen Architects, California
Mark Jensen of Jensen Architects and his team worked on a design that is partially buried in the hills of Marin County. The goal was to preserve the ride and minimize the structure's presence. We think they nailed this one!
The idea on Non Materiality is very interesting. Using fixed mirrored panels, glass guardrails, and sliding glass doors on the top floor span the gap between the buried plinth of the private level and the floating roof above the upper public level. This results in the house virtually disappearing.
From the pool terrace and exterior decks, the façade reflects the surroundings in such a way that the oak groves, mountains, and sky seem to occupy the house as if there is no material architecture. When the sliders pocket away, the top floor becomes part of the outdoors. Effectively there are no walls and the trees stitch together the front, side and rear.
A continuous curtain wraps around the entire top floor. When the glass doors are open, and the curtains are deployed, this entire level ripples in the breeze, further emphasizing the ephemeral nature of the enclosure.
