Coffeebar is a contemporary space in the heart of Silicon Valley’s venture capital center, Menlo Park, California. The design teams collaborated with Coffeebar founder Greg Buchheister to reimagine a building that was once a nail salon and an Asian food market into a curated, modern café that would draw in commuters and residents alike. The exterior was transformed from a simple commodity building to a bespoke retail destination. A simple material palette of steel, cypress, and glass creates a contemporary ambiance while offering durability in a heavy traffic environment. Elliptically-shaped, exterior wooden louvers float in front of the oversized glass windows and doors to provide sun protection and soft natural light into the interior. The steel trim and blackened standing-seam metal panels convey a sophisticated, industrial quality that complements the interiors.
Serenely pale above Bank Street. A thorough reinvention of a generously scaled but awkward post-war West Village Apartment. Lightened and subtly textured materials, and exactingly detailed custom elements create an elegant and informal living environment for a professional couple. A reconstructed kitchen, anchored by a sturdy block of richly figured Vermont marble and bleached ash cabinetry establishes a functional and airy center that integrates an informal bar and entertaining zone, generous work area, and a pull-out concealed television.
The Jewel Box is a study of space efficiency, creating the illusion of a larger space through multiple experiences within a 430 square foot New York City ‘Studio’ apartment.
The client’s wanted a pied-à-terre that felt like a room at a boutique hotel, a program that could accommodate cooking and entertaining and they did not want to see their bed. Our goal, was to maximize the physical and atmospheric size of a singular space, its storage capacity, while creating multiple experiences that all fit efficiently into an organized structure inspired by such objects as jewel boxes, steamer trunks, and recreational vehicles.
Fostering a spiritual community has always been at the heart of the mission of St Mary Mercy hospital. The first building of the current campus was established in 1959 by a group of Felician Sisters to serve a community in urgent need of healthcare as the auto industry grew exponentially. Since this time, the population of the region has continued to grow and become more demographically and spiritually diverse. Reflecting this, the programmatic scope of this project includes a Roman Catholic Chapel, a reflection room and a Muslim prayer room.
Challenges of a steeply sloping site and a tight budget were remedied by the use of innovative structural systems and modular construction. Called the “Trestle House” due to the foundation system, economy was achieved by the use of a 12’ x 16’ grid creating a short structural span and standard 4’ x 8’ sheets of plywood which is a modern reinterpretation of the traditional Japanese Tatami mat module.
FR-EE designed the Holon Temple concept for Burning Man, the annual event that brings tens of thousands of people—known as Burners—to Nevada’s Black Rock Desert for a week-long experiment in communal living. Each year the event—underpinned by the principles of civic participation, spiritual reflection, and self-expression—invites a team of architects and artists to design a temple proposal where Burners can gather, meditate, and reflect.
FR-EE’s proposal for the temple takes its inspiration from the Ancient Greek word holon, denoting an object that is both complete unto itself and an integral part of a larger system. Guided by this concept, the temple takes the form of an oblong wooden ellipsoid housing a smaller version of itself that serves as an altar. The altar itself contains a yet-smaller replica of, creating a nested system of objects that invites contemplation and embodies the idea of a holon.
Sited in the foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains in Sonoma California, this single-family residence floats over the hillside with commanding views of Sonoma Valley.
The intent was to design an extremely restrained home both in scale and cost, that intimately embraces the terrain both near and far. The homeowners requested a home that effortlessly links the indoor experience to the surrounding landscape. The tripartite diagram is quite simple: two masses, clad in standing seam black zinc, rise up out of the earth and support a third floating glass pavilion that performs as a bridge connecting the two solid volumes. The first two masses, housing the guest bedrooms, a kitchen, and the entry are positioned on the crest of the hillside, while the master suite, library, living room, and dining rooms embrace the panoramic valley views to the West. A circulation spine running through the center of the home connects all three wings, creating a highly efficient plan.
Since 1997, Olson Kundig has worked with St. Mark’s Cathedral to expand, remodel and preserve their church located in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. Originally constructed in 1928, the cathedral remained only partially complete for decades as it underwent a series of gradual updates. The most recent improvements, particularly to the exterior, bring the cathedral to completion, lending a sense of visual unity and cohesion that embodies St. Mark’s mission of community service and accessibility.
One of the original structures on the former 1930s-era U.S. Marine Hospital site, the Hogs for the Cause Family Center is now a welcome sanctuary of healing for visiting families and patients to New Orleans’ Children’s Hospital. The 8,200-square-foot project partnered local nonprofit Hogs for the Cause with Children’s as part of a new campus expansion, one that ultimately will serve to revitalize nine existing historical buildings onsite for adaptive reuse. The bright, airy home, previously fallen into disrepair, was once a garage and maintenance structure for the hospital. Throughout design, the team worked painstakingly to lovingly restore several elements of the original design. The building’s Georgian Revival façade has been completely restored. Within, little was left to salvage, which gave the design team plenty of space to create a cheerful respite for families. Thirteen suites within provide space for overnight families, in addition to communal space to promote interaction between families and create a community of support within the house. Throughout, the design strived to pay deference to its main benefactor, local nonprofit Hogs for the Cause, with a pig theme scattered throughout.
“This 1930s cabin conversion on Agate Pass serves as a good balance to working on projects in our Seattle studio each day or work-related travel. Out here there is little noise, no streetlights or sidewalks, and one of the neighboring trees is home to a growing family of bald eagles.” – Alan Maskin, Design Principal.
The home of Alan Maskin, principal and owner of Olson Kundig, this project reflects Maskin’s longstanding interest in the various uses of history. The project includes an 1,100-square-foot renovation and building addition to the original 1930s cabin, interior design and landscape design, as well as an art and custom furniture collection. Maskin’s design intervention delineates the house’s two different eras: the 1930s and today.
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