Start of Construction at 147 Bronte
We recently started construction at 147 Bronte, a project in the Bernal Heights neighborhood in San Francisco. The existing 948 sq. ft. single-family house will get a vertical and horizontal addition, increasing the square footage to 2,387 sq. ft.
The design for this project started from an initial urban study of a typical street block in San Francisco. In an in-fill context, what is “behind” the street facade is often a mystery, hidden by the non-porous massing of buildings. An active streetscape such as entry stairs, porches and alleys sometimes provide slight glimpses into the realm beyond. But, for the most part, that interaction terminates a few feet past property line. We ask, what if that glimpse is extended?
In fact, certain neighborhoods in San Francisco require massing reductions in the entitlement process. What if we took advantage of that requirement to create a direct connection between the street to what lies beyond? In this project, this idea is explored through an exterior breezeway (at the second level), which carves out a negative space that reveals a public green space and the Bay beyond.
The notion of this connective void is also integrated with the structural scheme. In particular, a two-story concrete shear wall ties the breezeway to the main living area, anchoring the space within the project. This further allows the entire floor level to be open, extending the idea of a connective void space.
