The Vault & Stack House is a renovation and expansion of a 1970’s ranch house in San Jose, California. Endemic Architecture transformed this previously drab, dark, expressionless house into a light filled, open, distinctive home. A double-vaulted 'carve' into the front façade is formed by two intersecting barrel vaults, creating a covered front porch while a faux chimney rises to the side; a nod to the plethora of front-façade chimney's found throughout the local neighborhood.
A cantilever of the office volume on the west side creates relief from the ground, reducing the visual weight of the house while expressing the separation of foundation (structure) from wall (element).
The exterior drought-tolerant landscape is a high contrast design composed with ¾” Dolomite rock, black mulch, and charcoal-topped pavers intermixed with new low-profile plants. The high contrast palette of black, white, and green is an intentional inversion from the previously blended beige, gray, and green lawn. The sealed charcoal-topped pavers provide a non-slip surface that quickly transforms from a shiny, reflective surface when wet to a matte black when dry.
The front addition is composed of staggered rooms in plan to create receding depth on the west side, yet the entire addition is contained under a single new low-slope gable roof that merges the two existing gabled roofs over the garage and main house into a unified whole. On one hand, this allows the house to be understood as a single mass. On the other hand, the expression of roof eaves, as well as the chimney piercing the eave, allows the house to be understood as the composition of discrete elements.
What was the brief?
To create a new front addition with a new entry hall, home office, bedroom, bathroom, and existing kitchen renovation.
What were the key challenges?
Dealing with the existing conditions of the existing house was a challenge in this project, in particular to create a seamless transition between old and new. Another challenge was creating an all white interior that still had depth and dimension to it.
What materials did you choose and why?
Our clients were very interested in a high contrast, but also wanted a white exterior and to the extent possible to make the interior as white as possible, like a minimalist gallery. However, the lighting was designed to be programmable colors that transform the house during nightime.
Participants: A2Z Builders (Contractor), Hewitt Consulting Group (Structural Engineer), Jocelyn Zepeda (Interior and Landscape)
Photo credits: Justin Lopez Photography
Materilas:
Facade cladding: Smooth troweled white stucco
Flooring: Owen Stone Bunny 12x14” Leather, Crossville
Doors: Jeldwen w/ Emtek hardware
Windows: Milgard, Black Aluminum
Interior lighting: Hue, Philips
