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Los Altos Hills Residence by CCS Architecture

By Eric Meunier

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San Francisco-based studio CCS Architecture has designed the Los Altos Hills Residence project.

Completed in June 2008, this 6,00 square foot two story contemporary home is located in Los Altos Hills, California, USA.

Strober Residence by CCS Architecture:

“CCS Architecture designed this modern home for a family of five in Los Altos Hills, California. The clients, both working parents, wanted a warm and casual, family-friendly dwelling with interiors that would merge with the outdoors. The goal of sustainability was met through the home’s building methods, materials, and energy systems.

Carefully positioned on its one-acre site, the 6,000 square foot residence is broken into three parts separated by two breezeways. The result is a contemporary compound with well-defined outdoor spaces that are comfortable during hot summer days. An L-shaped main level plan houses the primary living areas and garage. The second floor bedroom wing, clad in cedar, is a long bar that is rotated in relation to the first floor. It creates sheltered zones below as well as a pair of roof decks for the four bedrooms. The second floor meets the ground at its north end, forming the pool house. Between the pool house and the family room, a breezeway frames a view of the property and Silicon Valley.

The open floor plan maximizes connections to outdoor living spaces with large glass sliding doors aligned on each side of most rooms. This main living space is a series of rooms that flow together in a linear fashion. The light-filled interior is composed of white painted walls, wood walls, hardwood floors, stainless steel, glass, and painted cabinetry.

The main outdoor space is to the west of the home and has a “floorscape” of lawns, low plantings, integral color concrete, and the pool. A curved retaining wall borders the west side of the yard, and a field of grasses and olive trees rises above it. The other sides of the property are planted with apricot, California pepper, citrus and olive trees, creating privacy, and tying the property to the agricultural history of Los Altos Hills.

A 4-killowatt photovoltaic solar array on the roof generates about half of the home’s electricity, with additional solar panels that heat all of its water. The roof itself is made of structurally insulated panels (SIPs). Windows are all dual glazed with high-performance glazing. An electric, high efficiency split-system heat pump provides heating and cooling. Sunshades over windows and doors temper the sunlight and decrease heat gain in the summer.”

Photos by: Matthew Millman

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About Eric Meunier

Currently the Owner and Chief Executive of HODYO Design, Eric Meunier's expertise in the design industry spreads over 20 years. He was the driving force behind HomeDSGN's early success, founding this website in 2011. Today, he loves to channel his passion for design into remodeling houses and transforming interior spaces with his keen eye for detail and architectural finesse. Learn more about HomeDSGN's Editorial Process.

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