Summerhill Residence – Edmonds + Lee Architects – US

Architect: Edmonds + Lee Architects
Location: Kenwood, California, US
Project Team: Robert Edmonds, Vivian Lee
Project Area: 4,095 ft²
Project Year: 2008
Structural Engineer: Double-D Engineering
Civil Engineer: Dimensions 4 Engineering
Photographs: Bruce Damonte Photography

Set within a rural parcel in the heart of Northern California Wine Country. The Summerhill Residence consists of 3 separate buildings (main house. guest house and detached garage) that are situated to maximize the connection between the natural and the man-made. The distinction between the indoors and the outdoors is intentionally blurred as interior and exterior spaces extend in all directions to the gently rolling hills of the Sonoma landscape beyond.

Organized along a north/south axis, the buildings have been situated so that void space between the buildings will allow for defined outdoor courtyards but with informal circulation routes in and around the buildings. These outdoor courtyards while similar in vocabulary are intended to be experienced differently as each is orientated in a different direction to capture distinct views of the site beyond.

As the residence is intended for use as a rural, weekend retreat for a family living in San Francisco, particular focus was paid to heighten the experience of being in the country. As such, the public spaces of the house have extensive amounts of glazing that allow for unobstructed views the adjacent outdoor spaces and the landscape beyond. Additionally, direct access through sliding and swing doors to wood decks that wrap around the main house and guest house spaces provide a literal and metaphoric transition to the outdoor spaces beyond.