DORONKLEIN

Paliaga-Farrel Residence - Oakland, Ca

Summary: This new house is located in a neighborhood that is zoned high density due of its proximity to a transit center at MacArthur BART and urban corridors of Broadway St. and Telegraph Ave. In keeping with the city’s desire for increased density this project underwent of the construction of a separate and detached living unit in the rear of the property suitable for a family, thereby doubling the occupancy of the site while preserving the existing house & saving it from the scrap heap. The new unit was designed to have a compact and efficient footprint with spaces of different uses separated vertically rather than spreading them across the site. This allows the building to benefit from passively shading itself while minimizing impact on neighboring buildings’ solar access. Additionally, the compact footprint allows both the existing and the new house to enjoy the ambient qualities and passive shading provided by the well-planted and generously sized open areas.

Design Approach - Urban Infill near Transit: Gwelen and Carla are transit users and bicycle commuters and see the project as part of the fabric of a future transit oriented development around MacArthur BART. Density and urban infill are a key part of creating vibrant urban centers. This project seeks a balance between maximum density and maintenance of green space, gardens, and open views from windows from both the existing and new houses.

Green Building: The majority of the environmental impact of a building is caused by the production of the energy it uses over its life cycle. With this in mind the project is designed to provide 100% of its electricity and most of its hot water needs with solar photovoltaic’s and solar hot water collectors and seeks to be an example of how this can be done cost effectively.

Sizes of American homes have doubled in the last 50 years, resulting in a doubling of material use, land use, and energy used in operation. This project counters this trend by deliberating minimizing building area while still creating a fully functional 3 bedroom family home. The total building area of 1642 ft2 is 48% smaller than the 2005 US average house size of 2434 ft2 (NAHB 2005).

In addition to energy systems and efficient space planning, the project will follow green building principles of the United States Green Building Councils’ LEED™ rating system and the Alameda County “New Home Construction Green Building Guidelines”. A preliminary assessment of the Alameda County New Homes Green Points Checklist gives this project an overall score of 93 points.

Project Team: The property owners, developers, and residents of this project are Gwelen Paliaga and his wife Carla Farrell. Carla Farrell is a primary school teacher and reading specialist for San Lorenzo Unified School District. Gwelen Paliaga has a Masters of Science in Architecture from UC Berkeley and works for Taylor Engineering, a leading Bay Area Mechanical Engineering firm. He specializes in design of climate responsive energy efficient commercial buildings that are comfortable and healthy for their occupants. Gwelen is LEED accredited and has designed and consulted on the mechanical and energy systems for many LEED projects in the bay area. Doron Klein, the project architect and a Bay Area native, founded Free-Range Design/Build in 1998. The practice focuses on residential projects, setting out to help each client discover their needs and the potential of their site and then realize that potential with a positive impact on their local neighborhood environment.

Narayanan Residence - Sunnyvale, Ca

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Nativ Residence - Bitzaron, Tel Aviv, Israel

This aparment in the Bitzaron Niehgborhood of Tel Aviv underwent a complete reconstruction and reconfiguration. The original buildings in this neighborhood were built for working class families in groupings of four, on pedestrian alleys running between Bitzaron and Haaliya Streets. In keeping with the scale and openness of the existing neighborhood fabric the front yard of the house was kept open to the alley and the original detailing of the low walls and wroght iron gates was retained.

The original 60 square meters were doubled with additions to the front, rear, and side of the building. Additionally a basement space was created below the rear addition in order to accomodate the owner's Yoga practice.

The solar orientation of the site along with the existing conditions of neighboring buildings created a minimal southern exposure, no western exposure, and ample exposure to the north and east. In the predominantly hot climate of Tel Aviv those conditions allowed for ample opportunities for daylighting with minimal direct heat gain from the sun. The strategy developed from those conditions created a very open and well lit set of spaces that require no external shading. The only external shading necessary will be provided by a deciduous tree that will shade the front/southern bedroom window and create a shaded entry to the house.

The newly configured space of the house begins at the gate that was added at the front of the house; the front yard is shared with the street, but beyond that is private. The new gate acts as the house's formal front door, with remote securtiy access controls from the house. That way the house can remain opwn to its small site without compromising privacy. Inside, the house is an open plan arrangement with unified, yet delineated living, kitchen, dining & tv rooms. At the front of the house are three childrens bedrooms, storage and a bathroom. At the rear of the house is the master suite.

The patio at the rear yard is a seamless continuation of the terrazo floor from the living room, extending the interior space outward and bringing the outside in.

Solinger Residence - Burlingame, Ca

A new house on a difficult lot, this house was designed to meet very strict design review guidelines for this historic neighborhood and difficult setbach requirements on its quarter-circle shaped lot. Within the varied exerior lies a cost effective and straighforward design based on a 'W' shaped first floor with a second floor that sits squarely upon the central two legs.

Medjool Restaurant & Skyterrace - San Francisco, Ca

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Dloomy Residence - Moshav Nir Chen, Israel

A new house designed for a typical 500 square meter lot in an expansion of the moshav Nir Chen, near Kiryat Gat.

The house follows the restrictive setback requirements of the new neighborhood as well as the predominant building type of square blocks. But the design is comments on that building type by subverting its disconnection from its local environment and community. The house's center is carved out to create an entry sequence at the front which serves to mitigate the house's relationship to the neighborhood and allow it to remain at the same time open and private. At the rear of the house a second area is carved out to create a gathering space that is open to the south and at the sime time protected from the elements. That space affords the interior spaces a protected zone to mitigate the harsh southern exposures.

New Neighborhood and Green Homes - Kibbutz Nativ haLamed Hay, Israel

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Freidman Residence - Sunnyvale, Ca

The Friedman family purchased a mid-century ranch house for the big the lot that is sat upon and the pool at the center of the lot. They were eager to get into their yet unimagined new house by the following summer in order to enjoy the pool with their three daughters. A fast-track design process was undertaken to make this possible. Basic guidelines were set down and the redesign of the original as well as the shell of the addition was designed and permitted while the specifics were still being worked out.

The result was a reinterpretation of the original suburban house with a central loft that serves to passively cool and light the house as well as providing a play space for the children near the core functions of the house. Additionally, the house was given a deep overhang to the backyard with generous barn-door style sliding doors that allow for an unfettered connection between inside and outside.

Hampshire Street Lofts - San Francisco, Ca

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Giotinis Residence - Sunnyvale, Ca

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Safran Residence - Berkeley, Ca

The Safran house renovation was undertaken in 2002 to create a home for a young family in the upper unit of a disheveled duplex they had purchased. The renovation appropriated some downstairs space to create an entry room that served as a mitigating space between the upstairs living space and the outdoors. This room served as entry hall from the street, connection to the backyard, and extra storage and work space for the family.

The upstairs living area was completely gutted and reconfigured, creating a greatroom with kitchen, living and dining areas attached, a large balcony, and two bedroom areas - a master suite and a kids room. The ceilings were removed in the greatroom areas and extra space was created above the bedrooms: a study above the master suite and a conditioned storage attic above the kids room.

The house was completely re-insulated and all of the apertures were replaced with high efficiency windows and doors. The house was also opened to the outdoors for generous daylighting with passive shading as well as ample passive ventilation through the new skylights in the kitchen and greatroom.

Trowbridge Residence - Oakland, Ca

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