The judges admired the abundance of natural light in this San Francisco loft, which takes up the top floor of an old industrial building. “The light is incredible,” said one. Originally, the only entry point for sunlight was through windows on one side of the structure. But when architect Anne Fougeron was charged with remaking the space into a residence, she decided to insert a glass-walled courtyard into the middle of the floor plan. “For us the big move here was to introduce the courtyard, so we were able to introduce natural ventilation and natural light,” she says. “That transformed the space.”
She then pushed up through the roof to add a transparent master bedroom penthouse that lets additional light down into the living space. The penthouse is all angles, with a distinctive inverted roof shape Fougeron likens to that of a butterfly or grasshopper. “We wanted the penthouse to be decidedly different from the bottom of the building, which has a very strong rectilinear shape,” she says. The judges responded positively to this maneuver. “[From the street] you have no idea this is happening on the top of the building,” said one. “The surprise of it is so wonderful.”
They also enjoyed the dynamic nature of the interiors, which are tied together with a monochromatic white palette. As for Fougeron, she and her staff were so happy with the way the project turned out, they ended up renting the first floor of the building to use as their office space.
Project Credits
Entrant/Architect: Fougeron Architecture, San Francisco
Builder: Johnstone Mcauliffe Construction, Pacifica, Calif.
Living space: 4,800 square feet
Site: .1 acre
Construction cost: Withheld
Renderings: Fougeron Architecture
Photographer: Richard Barnes
Product Resources
Bathroom plumbing fittings/fixtures: Dornbracht, Duravit, Kohler, Vola; Dishwasher: Miele; Exterior siding: Corten; Fireplace: Heat-N-Glo; Garbage disposer: Franke; Hardware: Hafele, Stanley; Kitchen plumbing fittings/fixtures: Franke, KWC; Oven: Dacor; Paints: Benjamin Moore; Patio doors: Metal Window Corp.; Range: Miele; Refrigerator: Sub-Zero; Skylights: Okeeffe's; Steel staircase: Dennis Luedeman.
