CCS Architecture designed this 5,800 square foot home for a family of five in Palo Alto, California.  The clients both work in the Silicon Valley, and they have 3 young children.  The design is specific to their close-knit family needs as well as their rigorous sustainability standards.  The architecture is contemporary, but it has warm, authentic materials and refined details to accommodate a casual, unpretentious lifestyle.    

The home's bent, linear configuration divides the site; the public, street sides wrap the corner, creating a more private interior.  A breezeway leads to the entry and the yard beyond, while also separating the main house from the garage and studio.  The second floor bridges over these two and becomes the ceiling of the breezeway.

The lower part of the house has primary walls of highly crafted rammed earth made with soil excavated from the site.  The upper floor, framed in wood and steel, is clad in wood siding plus aluminum panels.  Between the two is an 18-inch ribbon of glass that admits soft light and views while making the upper floor appear as if it is floating.