San francisco

Nestled between two hills on 13-acres of farmland stands a cozy, multifunctional single-story ADU that lives larger than its actual 1,200 square-foot footprint. Its owners, a retired couple from Palo Alto, were yearning for a smaller home and slower pace when they decided to build on a rolling plot of land where their eldest son and his family inhabited a century-old two-story farmhouse. Ethan Herrington Ethan Herrington Ethan Herrington Ethan Herrington Ethan Herrington Outside, the new home’s exterior respects both the rural character of the property and the existing historic farmhouse located on the other side of a screen of broad heritage oak trees. Like its architectural predecessor, it features crisp wh... More

With careful attention paid to retaining historic details, a 1920’s home is reimagined for twenty-first century entertaining. Paul Dyer Paul Dyer Paul Dyer Graciousness never goes out of style. So when a busy professional and single father with an affinity for entertaining and reverence for classic architecture purchased a 1920s Birge Clark-designed abode, he envisioned generous interior and exterior spaces designed for high-quality hosting. Paul Dyer Paul Dyer Paul Dyer To maintain the architectural integrity of the Spanish Colonial Revival structure encircled by protected oak trees, FGA incorporated the façade’s original roofing tiles and restored the feature stucco details and front door... More

Past and present come together to breathe fresh air into this historic home. When a young Palo Alto family first laid eyes on an early twentieth-century Monterey Colonial residence designed by renowned architect Birge Clark, they knew they’d found their way home. The structure had charming historical features, but the space, floorplan, and amenities were lacking in practicality. Paul Dyer Paul Dyer Paul Dyer Through careful planning and creative problem-solving, FGA completed a full renovation and addition that incorporated a guest suite, mudroom, and family room, as well as a new basement space with golf and movie rooms and a combined dance studio and garage. Paul Dyer Paul Dyer Paul Dyer The homeowne... More

It was a sign. Quite literally. Our clients, avid outdoor lovers, had always dreamed of owning a vacation home on Lake Tahoe. While paddleboarding during a visit, they caught a glimpse of a “for sale” sign on the shore and a tired and outdated cabin sited unusually close to the lake. The Bay Area residents were captivated by the property and by the notion of summers spent on the lake and winter weekends on the slopes. FGA was enlisted to design a new structure on this special, but steep plot of land. Its hillside location presented some major challenges and considerations. FGA's extensive experience with complex siting proved critical to the success of this project, especially since the clients hoped to preserve as much of the... More

Shielded by a screen of Douglas fir and redwood, a contemporary home’s glass walls and earthly elements blur the line between indoors and outdoors. Tom Rossiter Looks can be deceiving. Designed with clean-lines from honest materials like steel, reclaimed wood, concrete, and zinc, this Woodside home is seemingly simple. Tom Rossiter Tom Rossiter But despite the structure’s copious use of clear glass, there is something that cannot easily be seen—the complexity of its siting and footprint. The 13 acre site had suffered from unsustainable alterations that caused significant erosion and steepened the natural slope. The design response was to extensively regrade the hill returning it to more natural grades. The... More

Old world details meet modern luxury in a French-inspired farmhouse in Woodside. There is a house on a hill where time seems to stand still despite its proximity to fast-paced Silicon Valley. Designed for a young family of four, the 5,000 square-foot home features the best of both worlds—quite literally. Its unique assemblage of antique and reclaimed materials conveys the classic, provincial French feel sought by the wife while its streamlined programming and detailing satisfies the husband’s penchant for Contemporary American style. Christina Schmidhofer Christina Schmidhofer Christina Schmidhofer Hand-selecting materials and employing centuries-old building techniques was crucial to create unparalleled authent... More

Downtown living had its benefits, but for our clients, they longed for the simplicity and serenity that existed outside the city limits. So when the young couple came across a World War II-era ranch house on multiple acres in Los Altos Hills, they acted quickly to purchase it, but took their time to ponder the possibilities of what could be built in its place. They ultimately entrusted FGA to reassess and re-envision the design to better suit the land and their lifestyle. 3DQ Studio 3DQ Studio Visually anchored by a mature oak tree in a center courtyard, the home is sited to promote unobstructed views of the natural landscape as well as the protected play area for the family’s two active children. It is also built low to th... More

For this new contemporary home in Los Altos Hills, FGA invested in features made of first-class materials that would stand the test of time from both an aesthetic and practical perspective. Outside, a gray standing seam metal roof crowns the structure wrapped in velvety-textured stucco. Its soft white hue is juxtaposed by windows and doors with dark wooden headers. At the entry, a large pivot door opens to a gracious foyer that divides the home’s public and private zones. Paul Dyer Adam Potts Adam Potts Adam Potts Adam Potts Paul Dyer Paul Dyer At the heart of the public zone is an expansive great room with soaring vaulted ceilings. It is anchored by a white oak paneled fireplace with textured black... More

The Center for Architecture + Design and AIA San Francisco Headquarters creates a dialogue between the newly-exposed cathedral-like concrete structure of the historic Building and finely crafted insertions, ultimately creating a Center that raises public awareness of all aspects of design. Adam Rouse Richard Barnes Designed to advance a public dialogue about art, architecture, design, and the built environment, the new AIA San Francisco and the Center for Architecture + Design headquarters are catalyzing the reoccupation of San Francisco’s urban core. In moving to the storefront of the landmark Hallidie Building, both non-profits sought to extend their reach beyond the architectural community.  The client-architect tea... More

Designed to nurture discoveries that will shape the biotech industry, the new Vantage Development offers a purposeful building life science campus to serve the region's academic, commercial, and industrial science and technology research institutions. Jason O'Rear The Vantage campus opened in 2024 in the heart of the South San Francisco biotechnology corridor. It features one five-story and one six-story building, together totaling 342,000 square feet of state-of-the-art life science laboratory and office facilities. Both buildings provide flexible floor plans to enable tenants to adapt to their own needs and workspace configurations. Jason O'Rear Jason O'Rear   Design thinking Vantage's architectural language is def... More

This San Francisco couple wanted to add some informal living space to their cozy, 1 story Victorian home. They envisioned a 3 story rear addition, containing 3 stacked spaces: a family room off the existing main level, with a guest room below and a master suite above. The addition could be a radical departure from the traditional main house, with modern flow and detail. The three stories are connected by a light filled open stairway, which functions more as a piece of art. Transcendent Image Transcendent Image Transcendent Image Transcendent Image Transcendent Image Caption More

A small, oddly-shaped, steep down-sloping vacant lot (only 1350 square feet) in the Cole Valley neighborhood of San Francisco created considerable design challenges for a new home. The reward for transcending these obstacles were expansive views to the North, West, and to the Pacific Ocean beyond. The responding vision was for a “mini-residential tower”. Comprised of five floors and a rooftop deck, organized in a reverse-floor plan that situates the living spaces on the upper levels. Each level (including the garage) of the north and west facades is skinned in floor-to-ceiling glass. A floating open-riser stair with a continuous translucent patterned glass wall connects all the floors and organizes the house both visually and sp... More

Design:         Experiencing rapid growth, Zendesk needed to expand to an additional building in San Francisco.  Zendesk’s new office marks its second building on Market Street, creating an urban campus that assists in the revival of the long-neglected Mid-Market neighborhood.  The new building not only serves as a headquarters for the growing Zendesk team, but also as opens its doors as a communal hub for local businesses and residents.   The qualities of being airy, humble, charming, and uncomplicated are what make up the core of Zendesk’s brand attributes, and were used as guiding principles for design.  Zendesk wanted the space to feel light and open, but also varied and textured. &... More