Center for Architecture + Design presents "Tour: Inside A Modern Wurster Masterpiece"

Join us for this rare glimpse into a modern masterpiece designed by William Wurster in 1960.

The renovation of this four-level urban courtyard house is informed by a collaboration of architect and client, both current and past. Located in the Russian Hill district of San Francisco, the project’s strategic modifications to the existing envelope enrich the visual connections between its interiors and the city, bay, and distant landscapes beyond. The original organization of the interiors were adjusted to enhance connections to its entry courtyard, with a focus on creating internalized views. The urban form, image, and materiality of the building remain consistent with the original design; however, a finer grain of articulation, a sensual material palette, and new domestic programs have been added to the discourse of Wurster’s modernist vocabulary.

A series of program-specific interventions initiate relationships between the living spaces and functional cores. The floorplates are adjusted to enrich the existing and undifferentiated white volumes. The circulation is opened, flexible, and responsive to spaces, engaging new patterns of dwelling and working. Rooms overlap one another and uses are redefined through subtle shifts in material and detail.

Moderator

Kenneth Caldwell is an Oakland based writer. From 1982-2021 he worked with architects eventually focusing on communications and marketing. He can be found at www.kennethcaldwell.com.

Presenters