Alaria Residence [Sausalito, CA]

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=185 BGCOLOR="#333333" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="2b28ec00ddualp.jpg"> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#333333" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#99FF99" FACE="Tw Cen MT Condensed" >Studio 300A Art+ Architecture</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000BF" FACE="Tw Cen MT Condensed" >    </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Tw Cen MT Condensed" > </FONT><B>|   </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Studio 300A Art Architecture"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>Alaria Residence  [Sausalito, CA]</B><B>   |   </B><A HREF="renovation___addition_in_mill_valley.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Davy Residence Mill Valley, CA"><U><B>Davy Residence  [Mill Valley, CA]</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="renovation_of_mill_valley_house.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="HugGarneau Residence Mill Valley, CA"><U><B>Hug-Garneau Residence  [Mill Valley, CA]</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="small_project_for_little_money.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Carport / Parking Deck Sausalito, CA"><U><B>Carport / Parking Deck  [Sausalito, CA]</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="projects_in_concert_with_other_architects.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="With Others..."><U><B>With Others...</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="job_site_communications_for_current_projects.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Works In Progress"><U><B>Works In Progress</B></U></A></div> <div> <IMG SRC="05c58020.png" border=0 width="600" height="2" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>Alaria Residence  [Sausalito, CA]</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Twas brillig, and the smithy toves. Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:  All mimsy</B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#888888" FACE="Eras Demi ITC" ><B> </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#888888" FACE="Eras Light ITC" ><B>.........no.</B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>In the beginning, there was the WORD. and the WORD was</B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#888888" FACE="Eras Light ITC" ><B>........no.</B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>It was the best of times, it was the</B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#888888" FACE="Eras Light ITC" ><B>........no.</B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>Truth be told, we do not know just how to tell the story of the Alaria residence.  And this story is still being written--all the cast of characters still bound by their own destinies mixing, colliding, laying down this tale like a crew of road workers--but each with their own destination in mind.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Maybe we just give you the rough outline for now.  Later will come an epic tale that Sisyphus would have likely found to be a real page turner.</B></div> <bR> <div> <I><IMG SRC="1a837410.jpg" border=0 width="311" height="321" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></I></div> <div> <I><B>405 Main as it was.</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <B>When Highway 1 and the Golden Gate Bridge were built in the 30's, it displaced quite a few cottages from the hills above Sausalito.  Many of these  were relocated on Main Street.  They were weekend cottages and with their simple construction, were never meant to have lasted as long as they have.  One by one they have been either torn down or substantially renovated.  They just filled in the creek at the center of Old Town and dropped these cottages on to new slabs over poorly compacted soil.  Enormous amounts of settlement have occurred over the years making these houses look slumped over and very tired.  When the Alarias (who own one of the last) came to us to renovate 405, it was apparent it would not be possible.  But the next best thing would be to create a new house out of salvaged materials from the existing house.  And upon further investigation, we found very little usable for our project.  So we are to start entirely from scratch.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>This is a tiny site--perhaps 1900 SF, and this really only allows us a 1200 SF house with one off-street parking spot.  We have absolutely no options as to siting.  Armed with all of this--and a "refreshingly" low budget, (for Marin county anyway) we take it all on.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The neighborhood has a lengthy history </B><B>(in USA terms) </B><B>with maritime concerns and was the heart of Richardson's Rancho Sausalito--where this town began, in essence.  The creek, which was filled in, was said to produce the sweetest water on the bay shore and ships would line up to fill their barrels from it before setting off under the Gate.  That water is now contained in a concrete culvert and passes quietly, gracelessly under our site before being dumped into the bay at some anonymous discharge.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The neighborhood now is a potpourri of residential solutions, marking various building spurts over time.  There was a big campaign in the Victorian  and Craftsman eras, Again in the 20's with stucco boxes and neo-Mission, Again in the 50's and 60's with some Eichler look-a-likes and currently some larger, Post Modern era projects wishing they were from any one of the previously mentioned eras--but not very whole heartedly.  Like California itself, it is an appropriately bizarre melting pot.  And yet the neighborhood (nicknamed Hurricane Gulch) has a very strong and coherent sense of place which is unlike any other in Sausalito.  We believe it comes, not so much from the man-made efforts, but from the exquisite, tilted bowl shape of the gulch itself, which spills its contents into a wonderful cove opposite Angel Island.  And you can watch in awe this spilling when the fog comes in.  But there is an architecture in the terrain itself, that is what makes the place and that is what will inform us whenever possible.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Since we have such a constrained site and budget, we want the simplest gesture we can enact with as little obstruction to light and air, and as little effort to build as we can imagine--but it has to be good.  Our mantra:  </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#888888" FACE="Eras Demi ITC" ><B>Light, Air</B></FONT><B>.....</B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#888888" FACE="Eras Demi ITC" ><B>light, air</B></FONT><B>....  These are our fancy finishes:  </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#888888" FACE="Eras Demi ITC" ><B>Light </B></FONT><B>and </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#888888" FACE="Eras Demi ITC" ><B>Air</B></FONT><B>.  These are our building codes:  Chapter-1: </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#888888" FACE="Eras Demi ITC" ><B>Light</B></FONT><B>.....Chapter-2; </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#888888" FACE="Eras Demi ITC" ><B>Air</B></FONT><B>.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>We are using simple geometries and massing and are creating odd penetrations through the floor and wall framing to help keep the building from feeling too much like a container and more like a complex set of planes hovering in...you guessed it...</B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#888888" FACE="Eras Demi ITC" ><B>light</B></FONT><B> and </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#888888" FACE="Eras Demi ITC" ><B>air</B></FONT><B>.</B></div> <bR> <div> <I><IMG SRC="1a758800.jpg" border=0 width="600" height="384" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">    </I></div> <div> <I><B>East Elevation</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <B>We are on to something here.  It does not show in the drawings just yet, it will not be apparent on this web site.  But there is a way to work with the gesture of spaces--the way that the framing of the building holds much stronger, much more potent and meaningful spaces than the finished building.  There is a point in the constructing of man-made spaces where you begin to say too much of the space and things get over-worked--like a drawing one just kills with too much fuss--too much graphite.  We are hoping to catch these spaces in their prime and stop right there, and not overwork them--not say too much.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>As of 14 January 2004 we have received planning approval from the city of Sausalito.   So we move onward with interiors and construction documents and we hope to be out there building this thing in July.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>As of 3 May 2004 we have submitted construction documents to the Sausalito Building Department for our building permit.  Some rather interesting things have been happening in the knitting together of this structure that will likely influence much of our future work.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><U>On 28 July 2004 we received a building permit!!</U></B><B> </B><B> [of course it cost us $9K for the damn little piece of paper].  But we are moving onward nonetheless.....</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The existing house could be demolished in about 6 minuets with a hammer and a bit of rage (believe me, we have both very handy by now).  But we are going to carefully deconstruct the existing house and try to find some kind of use for the materials it gives us.  And yet, only after some brief work by the demolition crew, we have these images to show....</B></div> <bR> <div> <I><B><IMG SRC="1d071420.jpg" border=0 width="369" height="322" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">           <IMG SRC="1cfae430.jpg" border=0 width="430" height="323" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></I></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B><IMG SRC="1d2c2700.jpg" border=0 width="450" height="368" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></I><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#444444" FACE="Eras Light ITC" ><I><B>              <IMG SRC="1d6ce710.jpg" border=0 width="462" height="369" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></I></FONT></div> <div> <I><B>doesn't take long to erase 100 years of existence.  </B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Goodbye 405.</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <B>"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?  Come to my arms, my beamish boy!"</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>It has been a very difficult birth so far.  We have collided with a surprise concrete culvert, perhaps owned by the City of Sausalito (depending on which day you ask them) and some extremely difficult foundation revisions which try to make a kind of pirouette move around the culvert (inasmuch as #8 rebar and tons of concrete can perform  ballet moves). Plus we have some very minor setback violations causing annoying adjustments just before the pour (these would be the fault of yours truly and a very persnickety city inspector).  We will be pouring tons of concrete here in a day or so, including a 12" slab over all our deep grade beams.  The site looks more like a CalTrans project  rather than  a 1200 SF house.  We should be able to erect a 38 story structure on such a pad, but we will be building only 2.  Whatever......</B></div> <bR> <div> <I><IMG SRC="1dac24a0.jpg" border=0 width="450" height="330" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">             <IMG SRC="1f3b6490.jpg" border=0 width="438" height="329" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></I></div> <div> <B>50 CY of concrete are in the process of being placed here.  8 trucks total.  Yes, 8.  On top of all of this will go the 12" slab, making a concrete boat out of the whole thing.   If global warming raises the ocean levels over 40', the Alarias will just set off in their new houseboat for points unknown, hopefully having already gathered wine bottles, two by two.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>We have, from time to time, observed an old codger peeking over the rear fence since construction began.   He just spends hours observing all the action.  One day I snuck back there and introduced myself as the architect for this project.  He told me his name was Stan and that he has lived a few doors away since 1949.  Now we meet regularly back there and watch the action together.  He fills the quiet moments with Old Town lore and gossip.  (see Stan in the second photo above).</B></div> <bR> <div> <I><B><IMG SRC="1dcc2350.jpg" border=0 width="450" height="309" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></I><I><B>              <IMG SRC="1dd77360.jpg" border=0 width="375" height="310" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></I></div> <div> <B>After all the fuss and chaos, we have some rather exquisite concrete work left behind.  The finished slab that goes over the top of this will contain hydronic heating pipes and will be stained with red wine  The budget will only allow for Two-Buck Chuck.  The wine is to memorialize all the difficulties we have encountered thus far--which have driven us all to drink heavily during the design and planning approval processes.  But with things looking as good as this does now, we turn our thoughts and throats to some decent champagne. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>(and yes, I did carve my initials in the concrete....) </B><B>    </B></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>        <IMG SRC="2b3c2530.jpg" border=0 width="450" height="339" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">            <IMG SRC="1e95bc20.jpg" border=0 width="347" height="450" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> </B></div> <div> <B>Introducing carpenters </B><B><U>Angel and Carl </U></B><B>respectively, as they take absolutely no heed of the wonderful, misty Sausalito light of this day.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>This entire frame, once complete, will be sandblasted to raise the grain a bit,  to unify all the framing member finishes and to shine up the metal connectors.  The majority of the studs, joists and rafters will be exposed in some manner or another.  We are even finishing some of the walls with clear, corrugated polycarbonate, so you will see the concrete walls, sill plates, studs, connectors and insulation right through the walls.</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>     <IMG SRC="1e6c2490.jpg" border=0 width="450" height="329" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">             <IMG SRC="1efa04a0.jpg" border=0 width="416" height="330" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>On the left is a view of the bathroom ceiling as seen from a passed-out position on the floor.  This is the finished ceiling, no "fig leaves" will be added to hide all the naughty bits of this house--just some sandblasting.  On the right, Carl and Contractor Phil Kline are sweeping a series of arcs on pieces of plywood to form a template for the framing of the two concentric barrel vaulted roofs that are yet to come.  They are standing on the just completed upper level of the main floor.</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="1f9c2680.jpg" border=0 width="450" height="360" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B><B>             <IMG SRC="1fb4c8d0.jpg" border=0 width="332" height="397" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>A week later you see the curved templates in place for the hanging of the rafters.  They will punctured with nice, big round holes to let light leak in to the underside of the barrel vaults.  Mean time, without the corrugated copper roof, the sun is free to play with the structure all it wants.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Personally, I think we are done.  Just a few appliances, plumbing and lighting fixtures and that should do it.  Screw the wall and roof sheathing!</B><B>  The dizzying world of structure and sunlight is so incredibly fantastic!   The spaces and massing suggested by the structure are so much more powerful by the mere suggestion.  It all seems to go downhill from here as we button things up.  But this here is the pinnacle, the moment we are so desperately trying to hang onto in this particular project.  If any bit of this exquisite purity can make it to the completed building--then we have had at least some kind of success with it.</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="203c2750.jpg" border=0 width="450" height="373" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">              <IMG SRC="205e0740.jpg" border=0 width="480" height="372" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Now the roof sheathing over the barrel vaults is applied.  The rif</B><B>l</B><B>ing spin of the joints in the ceiling will be a challenge to the heavy drinker.  In numerous places we have punctured the roof with openings, but the framing remains independent and uninterrupted.  This is true with many of the window openings in the walls and even in the floor as well.  This is how we have used structure to modulate and disperse light and air.  Each component of this building serves as many different purposes as was allowed by law, by social norms and by shear cleverness.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>No new photos have been posted for a while since it has been raining like all get-out.  The building currently looks a bit like Christo and Jean-Claude came through town.  All the while the electrical and sprinkler systems are being roughed (hacked) in.  Stay tuned though, the cedar siding and copper gutters and flashing are going on soon and we will see just how well this particular "cube was subdivided", as Louis Sullivan would say.  This is a bit of a "white-knuckle" moment because the huge disparity between an orthographic drawing at 1/4" scale,  and full-blown reality--in all its annoyingly subtle nature--is rather huge.  Even after two years of though and study, it is hard to say just what this building is going to feel like on its site.</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="2186e7a0.jpg" border=0 width="366" height="378" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">             <IMG SRC="217c2790.jpg" border=0 width="450" height="377" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <div> <B>A gentleman(?) looking a bit Jetsonian was busy today sandblasing the entire inside of the building, since much of this framing lumber is going to double as finished carpentry.  On the left you can see the Brai roofing over the lower barrel vault.  This is the finished roof and yes, it does look a bit like the abdomen of a venomous insect.  The upper vault (in the foreground) will be covered in corrugated copper.  </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>No new photos have been posted for a time.  We are busy with our own internal struggles.  When all the enemies go away, there is no fight but amongst yourselves.  While we duke it out, here is where we are:  Interior elevations drawn.  Lighting schedule finished .  Curved, corrugated roof arrived from Chicago (waiting for installation).  Cabinetry; completed and waiting.  Boysenberry colored metal windows installed.  Radiant slab poured and scored.  All the while the sea lions outside are barking, for it is herring season, after all. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Strange things happen around here when the herring run.  </B><B>Stan, the neighborhood narrator, greek chorus, minstral and sage, succumed to cancer just the other day.</B><B> And have I mentioned that Deliberate Design + Architecture are stepping away from this project?  We have been paid in full, but our advice and vision have come into conflict with the owner and builder on some very key points.  The ideas that would make this little structure a little sun-filled gem, have only been realized in part.  What happens from here on out is a tale to be told by others--for here we leave off.  The cast of characters plays on while we exit, shower, change and go off to the pub.  Perhaps we will hear the applause from there.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="26fc2330.jpg" border=0 width="450" height="307" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">              <IMG SRC="270c2340.jpg" border=0 width="450" height="308" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Some final parting shots.  </B></I></div> <bR> <div> <B>               </B><B><IMG SRC="28629b00.jpg" border=0 width="297" height="432" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">              <IMG SRC="2e720b00.jpg" border=0 width="288" height="432" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B> </B><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#888888" FACE="Eras Light ITC" ><I><B>we are always looking for opportunities to do it better and better.</B></I></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B><IMG SRC="2efb0690.jpg" border=0 width="432" height="361" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">                  <IMG SRC="2ebb0300.jpg" border=0 width="432" height="304" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></I></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B><IMG SRC="2eab0220.jpg" border=0 width="432" height="290" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">                   <IMG SRC="2e6b01f0.jpg" border=0 width="432" height="287" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></I></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>And, as in uffish thought he stood,</B></div> <div> <B>The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,</B></div> <div> <B>Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,</B></div> <div> <B>And burbled as it came!</B></div> <div> <B>One, two! One, two! And through and through</B></div> <div> <B>The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!</B></div> <div> <B>He left it dead, and with its head</B></div> <div> <B>He went galumphing back.</B></div> <div> <B>"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?</B></div> <div> <B>Come to my arms, my beamish boy!</B></div> <div> <B>O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'</B></div> <div> <B>He chortled in his........</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>ok, Ill say it:  </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Joy.</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I>"</I><I>Eli absolutely loves the house and so do I, but the surprise to me was to learn how much she hated the old house. I guess as a breed husbands are often described as blind, but I was still surprised by the depth of her feeling. Simply seeing her joy at the new house would have been enough for me, but now I have the bonus of loving it myself. And as we both get ready for full retirement, our beautiful cottage is a bigger treasure than ever before.</I><I>"  </I><I> </I></div> <bR> <div>  Len Alaria.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I>the end</I></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="architects_for_northern_california.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Studio 300A Architecture"><U>Home</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>