House OUTBACK
ART RESIDENCY + GALLERY
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CLIENT : PRIVATE
LOCATION : OAKLAND, CA, USA
STATUS : PERMIT REVIEW
AREA: 400 FT² (37 M²)
SITE AREA: 1,250 FT² (116 M²)
Design Process
We would revisit the conceptual premise through each season. Bi-monthly charrettes outside bore witness to an evolving garden, fruit tree harvesting, and shifting light conditions, each dramatically unseating our understanding of place, and ultimately led to a design position rooted in a whimsical permeability, what we call: OutBack.
The roof plane offers an elevated gathering space with a sunset view. Sweeping apertures maintain a visual connection to the rooms below, provide ample top lighting, and soften the flow through space.
An attitude of openness encouraged a formal permeability, blurring interior and exterior conditions. With that in mind, the quietest spaces (work and rest) were abbreviated to the center, leaving programs that play off the garden to experience it to their fullest. Exterior architectural and site walls serve an intent to display artwork, slipping past the form’s perceived boundary for outdoor viewing.
