2006 INSTITUTE HONOR AWARDS FOR ARCHITECTURE
Project
Visiting Artists House
Architects
Jim Jennings Architecture
Owner
Steven H. Oliver
Notes of Interest
This 1,700-square-foot residence
of two suites accessible to studios
serves artists commissioned to work onsite at a former northern California sheep ranch. The
architects defined the structure with two 200-foot-long poured-in-place concrete walls that
“slice along the crest of a hill, retaining the earth along the length of the cut and carving out
prescribed areas for indoor and outdoor living.”
A site-specific sculpture by David Rabinovitch incises the inner surfaces of the walls.
Separate roofs bridging the walls create a pair of glass-and-steel pavilions The sleeping
areas offer private views of the landscaping, which includes a small lake that also feeds
water of constant temperature to the building’s mechanical systems.
Jury Comments
“The powerful design gets its strength from a simple palette of materials, scrupulously detailed and
highly crafted... The facility’s lighting allows the structure to glow from within, warming and
softening the austere concrete ... Two nearly parallel concrete walls create a dialogue between
architecture, landscape and art.”
Additional Credits
Structural Engineer
Kevin Clinch
San Francisco
General Contractor
Oliver and Company
Richmond, Calif.
Landscape Architect
Andrea Cochran
San Francisco
Consultant
Dan Dodt (Lighting)
San Francisco
Photo Credit: Tim Griffith
