Following last week's visit to San Francisco-based Edmonds + Lee Architects, we are keeping our Meet Your Next Employer series in the Bay Area this week to explore the work of JENSEN Architects.

From their studio in downtown San Francisco, the firm has built a portfolio specializing in cultural, educational, residential, and workplace projects. The studio describes its ethos as “valuing a critical design approach, contemporary culture engagement, and innovative construction techniques for elegant, effective, and environmentally sensitive solutions.”

Over on Archinect Jobs, the firm is currently hiring for several positions to join their San Francisco office. For candidates interested in applying for a position, or anybody interested in learning about the firm’s output, we have rounded up four intriguing California-based remodel and renovation projects by JENSEN Architects that exemplify the studio’s ethos.

Stanford Residence, Stanford, CA

A remodeling project for a Stanford University professor, the Stanford Residence seeks to simplify and open up the structure’s interior while maintaining the existing footprint. Across the scheme, minimal details and neutral finishes “anticipate an evolving composition of the client’s art and design collection,” while inside, a bedroom, kitchen, and living room all blend into one another.

“The home’s open and connected spaces ultimately flow to the client’s workshop, a new separate structure dedicated to unbounded exploration,” the design team explains. “The shop’s industrial frame, wrapped in wood and glass, offers a clever reply to local pitched-roof mandates, while also providing a raw and tough space that is ready for anything. Outside, a landscape of drought-tolerant plantings resides in playful dialogue with the home.”

Willie “Woo Woo” Wong Playground, San Francisco, CA

At the Willie “Woo Woo” Wong Playground, JENSEN redesigned one of Chinatwon’s few historic, significant outdoor spaces, and the only park dedicated to active outdoor recreation. The resulting multilevel park and playground sees a remodeling of the existing clubhouse building, where the “bunker-like CMU block and concrete structure” was transformed with large storefront windows.

“New visual site lines through the building to the mezzanine level will glimpse a large folding door system that opens up the building to the playground,” the team notes. “The existing roof of the structure is extended as a bridge, connecting to the upper level of the playground and expanding the rooftop court area.”

YouTube Office 1, San Bruno, CA

JENSEN’s overhaul of YouTube Office 1 saw an “uninspiring” 1980s office park building converted into a contemporary workspace. Spanning two floors, the open office workplace surrounds a light-filled atrium which is described as an “animated crossroads” for the interior. On the ground floor, a 9,500-square-foot cafe, lounge areas, and meeting rooms seek to draw people in from the surrounding campus, while a new stairs and bridge in the atrium provide access to upper levels.

“Design elements and materials inspired by the company’s culture establish a dynamism throughout the space,” the team explains. “Moving color is achieved with dichroic film on glass and digital LED installations add color and movement to the space.”

Minnesota Street Project, San Francisco, CA

Commissioned in response to San Francisco’s busy rental market, the Minnesota Street Project comprises a studio and commercial space for the city’s artists and art galleries. At the center of the project was the renovation of a 1937 industrial warehouse, where an anchoring 5000-square-foot atrium sees original wood plank ceilings supported on delicate steel trusses. Described as a “soaring space” by the team, the atrium is imagined as a venue for events and exhibitions while connecting 15 private galleries across two levels.

“A café bar opens to both Minnesota Street and the entry lobby, engaging the neighborhood,” the team adds. “A simplified palette of polished concrete floors, exposed structural steel, and exposed corrugated metal ceilings, complements the building’s original materiality, accentuating the industrial atmosphere of the space.”

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.