Kohavi House | Swatt | Miers Architects

Set in the hills overlooking Palo Alto and the San Francisco Bay, the design for the Kohavi House emphasizes the flow of space from indoors to outdoors, structural expression and connection to the land.  The house is designed with an L-shaped plan which organizes the site, a 1-1/2 acre east facing knoll, into three distinct outdoor rooms: an entry court with low wood bridges on the west side, a children’s play area on the north side, and a future pool and terrace on the east side.

The plan is organized around a two story circulation spine, articulated by four cast-in place vertical concrete frames.  Doors at either end of the spine provide access to the exterior and emphasize the connection of interior and exterior spaces.  Adjacent to the circulation spine, the living-dining space has been designed as a glass pavilion with a soaring, chevron shaped, cantilevered roof to that opens to panoramic views and visually extends interior space to the outdoors.