7.23.2021 | DIGS.NET 41
A
R
C
H
I
T
E
C
T
U
R
E
+
D
E
S
I
G
N
P R O F I L E | P O R T O L A V A L L E Y H O M E
"E
very project draws from the land, and the process of
design begins there as we integrate a client's aspi-
rations, culture, program and desire with context,
perspective, sustainability and resources." This site-specific
approach is the philosophy of architect Richard Beard, who
designed this 7,000-square-foot house for a couple with young
children, while he was a principal at BAR Architects. Today, Beard
— whose father was a contractor and developer and grandfather
was a land planner — is at the helm of his eponymous studio
in San Francisco, continuing to nurture his fascination for how
architecture has the potential to shape lives.
The property is ideally located in the Westridge area of Portola
Valley, a desirable and exclusive enclave of the San Francisco
Peninsula, close to Silicon Valley. "It has a very calm, rural quality,
almost bucolic," says Beard.
The owners immediately fell in love with the view of Windy
Hill to the southwest and asked the architect to make the most
of the panorama through the design, while embracing "the rural
vernacular in a sophisticated, yet understated composition of
building forms," describes Beard. "It was pretty clear right away
that the site held a huge opportunity for a great design."
Several challenges, however, had to be tackled to transform
the dream into a reality, starting with finding the perfect spot
to build the house. "The southeastern side of the property was
steeply sloped and heavily wooded with protected oak trees
