Dezeen Magazine

Stephen Phillips clads modern San Francisco townhouse in black zinc

Local studio Stephen Phillips Architects has completed a black duplex in San Francisco that aims to challenge the city's standard housing typologies (+ slideshow).

Called Black Mass, the residential building is located in the Hayes Valley neighbourhood, which is dotted with traditional Victorian and Edwardian townhouses.

Linden Street Apartments by SPARCHS

Once a drug haven, the area has undergone a dramatic transformation since an elevated freeway was removed in the 1990s. Today the district is known for its high-end restaurants and boutiques.

For a small lot in the neighbourhood on Linden Street, which resembles an alleyway, Stephen Phillips Architects – also known as SPARCHS – was commissioned to design a modern townhouse with two apartments.

Linden Street Apartments by SPARCH

The architect set out to create a building that embraced the local vernacular and merged it with a "contemporary sensibility".

"Hired to design a speculative infill duplex for a local landowner, Stephen Phillips Architects aimed to challenge the normative San Francisco housing typologies," the studio said.

Linden Street Apartments by SPARCHS

The four-storey structure encompasses 4,200 square feet (390 square metres).

The architect clad the building in black zinc panels that will fade over time to a soft grey. A curved, mansard-style roof visually mitigates the building's height while also creating a dynamic interior space.

Linden Street Apartments by SPARCHS

The studio creatively interpreted local zoning codes by incorporating features such as a cornice and a bay window. A slender black chimney runs up the face of the building.

Linden Street Apartments by SPARCHS

"As a black mass, the building form is at once powerful, indiscernible, and provocatively complex, revealing itself through the perceived movement of light, shade and shadow on its varying buildings surfaces," the architect said.

The apartments feature open floor plans and double-height circulation spaces. In one unit, a curvy balcony overlooks the living room.

Linden Street Apartments by SPARCHS

To add warmth to the space, the architect installed teak cabinetry and white oak floors. Countertops are made of concrete and marble, while stair railings were fashioned from artisanal metal.

A spiral staircase leads from a balcony to a simple roof deck, where occupants can take in expansive views of the city.

Linden Street Apartments by SPARCHS

Other residential projects in San Francisco include a renovated home with verdant terraces that evoke Japanese gardens and a multi-family building with white plastic cladding and lush landscaping.

Photography is by Tim Griffith.


Project credits:

Architect: Stephen Phillips Architects (SPARCHS)
Project Team: Sam Clovis, Cameron Helland, Richard Porter, Andrew Wright, David Stamatis, Franco Zaragoza, Stephen Becker, Domini Padua, Trevor Larsen
Client: Hayes Valley Properties
Contractor: Kevin Webb Construction
Structural Engineer: Double D Engineering

Linden Street Apartments by SPARCHS
Site plan – click for larger image
Linden Street Apartments by SPARCHS
Ground floor plan – click for larger image
Linden Street Apartments by SPARCHS
First floor plan – click for larger image
Linden Street Apartments by SPARCHS
Second floor plan – click for larger image
Linden Street Apartments by SPARCHS
Third floor plan – click for larger image
Linden Street Apartments by SPARCHS
West facing section – click for larger image
Linden Street Apartments by SPARCHS
North facing section – click for larger image
Linden Street Apartments by SPARCHS
Front elevation – click for larger image
Linden Street Apartments by SPARCHS
Rear elevation – click for larger image