CBS Sunday Morning (March 10, 2024): We leave you this Sunday Morning with majestic Tule Elk at Point Reyes National Seashore, in California. Videographer: Lance Milbrand.
Tule elk are endemic to California and the most specialized elk in North America, given that they live in open country under semi-desert conditions, whereas the species as a whole typically occupies temperate climates and utilizes heavy cover at least seasonally.
Point Reyes National Seashore is a vast expanse of protected coastline in Northern California’s Marin County. Beaches here include Wildcat Beach, with the cliffside Alamere Falls. On a rocky headland, the 1870 Point Reyes Lighthouse is a viewpoint for migrating gray whales. The Phillip Burton Wilderness features extensive trails through grassland, firs and pine forest, and up to the peak of Mount Wittenberg.
The Local Project (January 16, 2024) – The Local Project’s latest house tour takes viewers inside an architect’s own cabin at Sea Ranch, a planned Californian community founded in the 1960s by architect and developer Alan Boeke.
Video timeline:00:00 – Introduction to the Architect’s Own Cabin 01:50 – The History of The Sea Ranch Community 02:19 – Unique and Special Aspects 02:35 – A Walkthrough of the Cabin 03:37 – Aligning with The Original Footprint 05:40 – The Sea Ranch Design Rules 06:50 – A Natural Material Palette 07:50 – Proud Moments
Originally designed in the 1970s by William Turnbull Jr. – one of Sea Ranch’s pioneering architects – the cabin now belongs to Berkeley-based architect Joanne Koch, who has renovated the cabin with humility and respect. Pleasingly, it still exhibits many of Sea Ranch’s defining tenets surrounding quiet and environmentally sustainable architecture, reimagined through a contemporary lens. Joanne considers herself to be a “steward and caretaker” of this historic house at Sea Ranch. Stepping inside an architect’s own cabin, it is easy to see how she has respected the original design intent by gently reimagining the architecture and interior design.
The house tour highlights various spaces inside an architect’s own cabin, such as the kitchen, bedrooms, garden, courtyard and balconies, illustrating a blend of contemporary and heritage ideals through the interior design, furniture and décor. The materials echo the cabin’s 1970s sensibility with a subtle contemporary edge, and a palette of moss green, blue and grey not only reflects the hues of the surrounding forest but complements the amber tones of the sugar pine throughout the home. The kitchen features new cabinetry and refined yet elemental fixtures to reflect the rudimentary nature of the cabin. The presence of the surrounding landscape inside an architect’s own cabin is significant. “You just have this feeling that you need to look up into the trees,” Joanne says.
Sea Ranch Forest Retreat illustrates the importance of taking an informed and intuitive approach to architecture of heritage significance. With thanks to Joanne’s sensitive response, this cabin will prevail as an important piece of modernist American architecture.
The Local Project (January 9, 2024) – Situated in a frequently cold, wet and windy location, Ramirez Residence by Norman Millar Architects and Judith Sheine Architect is a sea ranch home that is built to complement the rugged landscape.
Video timeline:00:00 – Introduction to the Modern Ranch 01:10 – A Coastal Location and its History 02:12 – The Architectural Collaboration and Design Guidelines 04:04 – Building the Interiors into the Landscape 04:29 – The Clients Coastal Requests 05:26 – A Traditional and Natural Material Palette 06:55 – Respecting the History of Sea Ranch
Placed north of San Francisco, and positioned along miles of ocean coastline, Ramirez Residence possesses an interesting history that goes back to the community’s conception by Alfred Boeke. Transforming a sheep ranch on a degrading landscape into an ideal utopian community, Alfred Boeke implemented strict design guidelines for the architecture of the buildings and the way they sat in the landscape. As such, each of the surrounding homes were inspired by weathered barns, designed out of local timber and made to withstand the harsh climate over a long period of time.
Built into the landscape, Ramirez Residence was specifically designed to preserve local views and communal open spaces. Based on the design principles and ideas of the weathered barns with the slopping roof of a ranch, Ramirez Residence appears fairly simple in its exterior form. With no overhangs to prevent uplift from the strong winds, the house tour shows an almost box-like home clad in local timbers but, once inside, a complex and articulated interior design reveals itself. Following the house tour inside, the reveal of built-in furniture continues the idea of a home nestled into the landscape. Emphasising this idea in the bathrooms and kitchen, the architects encourage the idea that the rooms and kitchen are objects within the home.
The Local Project (January 2, 2024) – A house boat with rounded windows that frame the bay, Sausalito Houseboat by Craig Steely Architecture evokes a deep appreciation of the surrounds.
Video timeline:00:00 – Introduction to the World’s Best House Boat 00:40 – The House Boat Community and its History 01:02 – A Spacious Brief 02:03 – A Walkthrough of the House Boat 02:46 – The Layered Design Approach 03:23 – A Simplistic Material Palette 03:50 – Accounting for the Climate 04:23 – Satisfying and Favourite Aspects
Located just north of San Francisco, the home is situated in a small house boat community of Sausalito. In World War II, Liberty ships were once predominantly built in the area, however, after the war, it was abandoned for residential use. As such, a community was established and house boats were built, creating a truly memorable location for a home. Working closely with the client – who wanted something spacious – Craig Steely Architecture took to designing a house boat that went against the typical aesthetic and design of others.
Additionally, the house boat is clad in décor that will accommodate the weather and surrounds, using materials such as old red wood from another project that does not have any finish but remains sturdy. Thinking about the dock, the ocean, the views and the Sausalito Bay surrounds, Craig Steely Architecture created a home that was reactive and connected the interior space to the outdoors. However, when the client and architect discovered the lot, they found a sinking barge but, deeply interested with the history of the space, they took to designing a house boat that referenced the bohemian history.
The Local Project (November 28, 2023) – Designed as a tree house and woven into the landscape of California’s Martis Valley – within striking distance of Lake Tahoe – is Analog House, jointly designed by Olson Kundig and Faulkner Architects.
Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Tree House 00:44 – Respecting the Landscape Throughout the Design 01:26 – A Quiet Scheme 01:50 – A Conversation Rather than a Brief 02:26 – Walkthrough and the Layout of the House 03:20 – The Singular Choice Materials 04:32 – Exciting Aspects of the Space 05:26 – The Gizmos 06:40 – Favourite Parts of the Process and Design
Due to its location and the nature of its form, the home seamlessly echoes its alpine surroundings and becomes part of the forest floor through conversational design. Situated in a dense forest, the architecture was conceived to be environmentally sensitive. The glass doors and exterior rainscreen are made of recycled steel and the wood frame employs engineered wood studs, joists and rafters. The structure’s steel skin also requires no maintenance and is fire-resistant. As such, the architects not only created a dwelling that nestles into the surrounds but one that greatly considers and responds to the environment.
As seen in the house tour, there is a harmony in the home’s design; it offers seamless transitions from room to room, showcasing the transformed spaces both inside and out. Designed as a tree house, the pièce de résistance of the dwelling is the steel tower – a three-storey structure that rises from the main volume. Designed as a guest wing, it comprises bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms and a rooftop deck with sweeping views. In the main volume of the house lies the kitchen and utility areas, with moveable glass doors that open up to the outdoor spaces and allow for plenty of fresh air to enter the abode.
CBS Sunday Morning (July 2, 2023) – The John Muir Wilderness area extends along the crest of the Sierra Nevada of California for 90 miles, in the Inyo and Sierra National Forests. Established in 1964 by the Wilderness Act and named for naturalist John Muir, it encompasses 652,793 acres.
Traveling with Andrew Films (June 3, 2023) – Sausalito is a city in Marin County, California, across the Golden Gate Strait from San Francisco. It’s known for its Richardson Bay houseboat enclaves, built by artist squatters after WWII.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Bay Model Visitor Center has a functioning 3D hydraulic model of the Bay Area, plus exhibits about the area’s waterways. The Marin Headlands offers Golden Gate Bridge views.
Traveling with Andrew (May 20, 2023) – Tiburon is an incorporated town in Marin County, California. It is located on the Tiburon Peninsula, which reaches south into the San Francisco Bay.
00:00 San Francisco Bay 00:29 The Tiburon Peninsula Historical Trail 02:40 Tiburon Railroad and Ferry Depot Museum 03:11 The Tiburon Peninsula Historical Trail 08:02 Paradise Drive 09:10 Bersot Capital Management 10:06 Point Tiburon Condos 11:53 Paradise Drive 12:31 Caffe Acri 12:42 Tiburon Blvd 14:31 Main St 18:41 Paradise Drive 19:08 Ferry Docks 21:17 Corinthian Yacht Club
It shares a ZIP code with the smaller incorporated city of Belvedere (formerly a separate island), which occupies the southwest part of the peninsula and is contiguous with Tiburon. Tiburon is bordered by Corte Madera to the north and Mill Valley to the west, but is otherwise mostly surrounded by the bay.
Besides Belvedere and Tiburon, much of the peninsula is unincorporated, including portions of the north side and the communities of Strawberry and Paradise Cay.
The Local Project (May 19, 2023) – Ryan Leidner Architecture thoughtfully renovates a bygone California house into a modern home that is intrinsically connected to its surrounding landscape by incorporating lush greenery into the interior spaces.
Video timeline:00:00 – Introduction to the California House 00:23 – Renovation of an Eichler Home 00:54 – A Walkthrough of the Home 01:11 – Magical Moments 01:32 – Light Play and Dynanism 01:53 – Feeling Enveloped in the Garden 02:37 – Leaning into the Indoor-Outdoor Connection 03:02 – Working on the Landscape 03:30 – Focusing on A Specific Level of Transparency 04:15 – Rewarding and Proud Moments
Imbued with a tangible sense of transparency, Twin Gable House proposes a more outward, open way of living. Located in Sunnyvale, a suburban neighbourhood 45 minutes south of San Francisco, Twin Gable House sits within a streetscape dominated by single-level, Eichler family homes. The renovation aspired to rejuvenate the midcentury modern-style California house by injecting high design into its somewhat simple, suburban façade.
While most Eichler homes boast flat ceilings, this house benefited from having a twin-gable shape that brings height and openness, undoubtedly setting the tone for the design and direction of the renovation. There is an immediate sense of the outdoors existing within the California house – upon entering through the front door into the atrium space, one is met with an interior garden. Rejecting the idea that homes are a place to be lived inwardly, the outdoor connection continues throughout the home.
The Local Project – (May 2, 2023) – Tucked into an alpine environment, Forest House by Faulkner Architects is a cabin in the woods surrounded by thick pine trees, Fir trees and basalt rock.
Video timeline:00:00 – Introduction to the Cabin in the Woods 00:22 – The Site and Surrounding Landscape 00:38 – Saving the Landscape Around the Home 00:55 – The Clients and the Initial Brief 01:44 – A Concealed Entry 02:00 – A Walkthrough of the Home 02:38 – An Experience Space 02:58 – Working with the Sun 03:25 – A Focus on Sustainability 03:49 – The Materials Used 04:09 – A Reflection of the Surrounding Landscape 04:35 – The Most Exciting Space and its Successes
Desiring to save and protect the landscape, the architects saved 95 per cent of the trees on the property by leaving the front land largely untouched. As the clients delivered a simple brief with an open mindset, the architects were able to create a cabin in the woods that respected its surrounds and did not fall to the arbitrary aesthetics of larger homes in the area. Due to its nature-rich location, the home remains neutral and respective by allowing the landscape to breathe and embrace its structure.
As the house tour moves inside, the front of the home opens into the living, dining and kitchen areas. Tucked behind the kitchen is a small family room, while an addition of a hidden office allows for further separation of spaces where the clients can find a place to work, study and rest. Additionally, the master suite has been left on the main level, while the three ensuite guest rooms are positioned upstairs for increased separation of private and public spaces. Described as a cabin in the woods that is an atmospheric exercise in form and light, the architects began the process of designing Forest House by looking to the sun.
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