The Pavilion

Our design team, upon initial visits to the site, aimed to construct a home that both made whole the scarred terrain and benefited from the unusually flat land. These conditions encouraged our designers to push the house deeper into the hillside, nestling the building naturally into the surrounding landscape. The result provides sweeping views of San Jose and elevated privacy levels- the house is hidden from public view from all but a few spots, organically blending into the surrounding geography.

The entryway welcomes visitors into its defining feature: a glass pavilion that serves as the home’s great room. The glass walls disappear into the hills, eliminating visual barriers between the home and the valley below. The exposed steel structure elegantly breaks and frames views. Natural light filters into the space throughout the day, while panoramic vistas sweep out across San Jose to the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance.

Two stucco wings stand as the home’s anchors, grounding the glass core and structure to the earth. To the South, a single-story section lies close to the land and houses a master suite and two smaller bedrooms. The North wing rises dramatically above the rest of the residence, extending from a subterranean garage, through a casual den, to culminate in a loft above.

LOCATION San Jose, California

PROJECT TEAM

Landscape Architect: Arterra Landscape Architects
Builder: Groza Construction
Structural Engineer: FTF Engineering
Civil Engineer: TS Civil Engineering
Photography: Joe Fletcher