Following our previous visit to New York City-based JG Neukomm Architecture, we are moving our Meet Your Next Employer series to San Francisco this week to explore the work of Edmonds + Lee Architects.

Founded by Robert Edmonds and Vivan Lee, the architecture and interior design firm has built an acclaimed portfolio across private, commercial, and institutional sectors. From their studio in the city’s Mission District, the studio operates along “a profoundly philosophical approach with a deep well of on-the-ground building experience to produce work that both sensitively integrates itself into the existing context, and that offers new opportunities for reflection, work, pause, restoration, and play.”

Over on Archinect Jobs, the firm is currently hiring for a Project Architect/Designer to join their San Francisco office. For candidates interested in applying for the position, or anybody interested in learning about the firm’s output, we have rounded up five residential projects by Edmonds + Lee Architects that exemplify the studio’s ethos.

Oriental Warehouse Loft

Located in a historic warehouse building in the city’s South Beach neighborhood, the Oriental Warehouse Loft project saw a complete reconfiguration and renovation of the existing apartment. The resulting scheme sees existing heavy timber and rusticated brick elements left exposed, contrasted by contemporary finishes to walls, floors, kitchen and bathroom fixtures, and a new steel cantilever stair connecting the ground floor living areas with the mezzanine sleeping areas.

“In order to maximize the spatial experience of the loft, traditional notions of domestic privacy were abandoned in favor of open and transparent relationships,” the firm explains. “Opaque guardrails at the sleeping mezzanine were replaced with frameless glass guardrails in order to provide a direct visual connection to the living room below. A large oversized sheet of transparent glass further eliminates privacy in the master bathroom by allowing views into and out of the bathroom to the rest of the loft beyond.”

Chestnut Residences

The Chesnut Residences sees a new four-story building constructed in the city’s Marine district, containing three condominium units. On the exterior, contemporary detailing is intended to contrast with the area’s prevailing Marina-style buildings, with a front facade consisting of cement board panel rain screen cladding and floor-to-ceiling windows and doors.

“With ample glazing, the interior units are bathed in light and have a refined material pallet of white walls, wide-plank oak flooring, and natural stone throughout the bathrooms,” the firm explains. “Careful consideration was paid to the lighting design and museum-like track lighting was deployed throughout to provide a gallery-like atmosphere to all of the units.”

Remember House

Located in a sloping hillside parcel in the city’s Noe Valley, the Remember House comprises a four-story family residence organized around a central spine. Inside, the designers combined prominent vertical circulation with a crisp white material palette to create a “spacious, vibrant, and geometrically engaging house,” with an emphasis on vertical stacking continuing to the home’s exterior massing.

“Four-story massing usually leads to a space that feels tight or repetitive, so the architects worked to make the vertical circulation both evocative and valuable, forgoing the pancake-style San Francisco house, and instead opening the house in section, maximizing a feeling of spaciousness and a sense of architectural adventure,” the firm explains. “That meant a small sacrifice in terms of physically usable space, but a huge gain in terms of enjoyable architecture. Double-height spaces and a staircase centered within the central spine of the house encourage the clients and their visitors to engage with each level.”

188 Octavia

188 Octavia sees a 27-unit residential scheme constructed on a former city-owned parcel on Octavia Boulevard. Outside, the facade is designed with reference to the traditional Victorian Bay Window but with an “abstracted composition of three-dimensional, articulated bays that use depth and repetition to provide visual interest.” Inside, meanwhile, units prioritize access to sunlight, air, and a visual connection to the street, while the roof hosts a landscaped garden.

“Our proposal honors the strong Hayes Valley and San Francisco tradition of multi-family residential housing set over a vibrant, pedestrian-orientated commercial presence,” the team explains. “The 27-unit Parcel T both blends seamlessly into the existing fabric of the city and expresses itself as a significant work of contemporary architecture.”

Switchback House

Edmonds + Lee designed the Switchback House for their own family, with a loft-style flipped plan that “wove together the architects’ deep knowledge of San Francisco’s urban context and codes with their crisp and clear material and architectural aesthetic.” To maintain an efficient budget, the team employed dimple drywall for guardrails, painted steel for the stairs, and everyday materials creatively repurposed for much of the home’s detailing. Outside the facade is composed of pre-manufactured trim boards while, inside, a self-described “Ikea Hack” saw the team measure the standard size of Ikea shelving to inform the dimensions of closet spaces.

“Working as not only their own clients but also their own budget-sensitive developers, the architects were able to avoid the typical market-driven pressure of maximizing square feet and instead focus on qualitative issues,” the firm explains. “As a result, they were able to work creatively—by flipping the plan to place the living room on the top floor and bedrooms on the lower level— to bring to life the feeling of loft-style living that they wanted, without giving up the intimate neighborhood feel of their immediate surroundings or the connection to San Francisco’s vibrant streets.”

Meet Your Next Employer is one of a number of ongoing weekly series showcasing the opportunities available on our industry-leading job board. Our Job Highlights series looks at intriguing and topical employment opportunities currently available on Archinect Jobs, while our weekly roundups curate job opportunities by location, career level, and job description.