Beautiful, inside and out and circularly.
The Design Team for Amber Drive, at left, Board Member/Architect Heidi Hansen; Sustainability/Interior Design Consultant Beth Miles; Principal Architects Elizabeth (Biz) Kerman-Morris & Toby Morris of Kerman Morris Architects.
Last weekend, Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco handed over the keys to eight lucky families who will now make their home on Diamond Height’s Amber Drive, on a plot of land that once housed a single, modest bungalow. HGSF’s CEO, Maureen Sedonaen, never hesitated in accepting the gift from the original owner’s elderly son, Misha Seligman, knowing what might be possible on that sliver of land, from an Affordable Housing point of view.
It took years and an enormous amount of patience when Covid 19 derailed progress, in addition to the many complexities that are commonplace when building within the city of San Francisco. However, last Saturday, even as the fog stood in the way of the view to the Golden Gate Bridge, the stunning triplex of buildings designed by Kerman Morris Architects, in homage to the Eichler-esque neighbors, shone brightly.
In 2020, I, along with Board Member/Architect Heidi Hansen, was asked to help solve the interior finishes for the entire community, in a manner that brought inspired, enduring and beautiful choices to these homes. Working off the platform we had previously established for HGSF’s 20 homes in Redwood City (link to Jefferson) and several individual Buy Back homes, we extended the circular ideas that we had previously leveraged and set out to bring the same elevated, enduring sensibilities but with a mid-Century feeling.
It was a highly emotional moment to see those who would now live under the soft lighting emanating from Hubbardton Forge’s, nature-inspired chandelier which hovers elegantly over one of the top floor islands, taking advantage of the voluminous ceiling height. Or the George Kovacs die-cut brass sconce which lights the entry way in a 2nd floor home. And then there is the beautiful Daltile, which greets every homeowner in each building’s entryway and as a stunning and protective kitchen backsplash. In a community that now is home to a combined mix of twelve children, backsplashes are a necessary finish to protect from the impacts of over exuberant water balloon filling.
These finishes were made possible via a creative approach to our sourcing, deepening relationships with local vendors; and soliciting national supplier programs. We found fantastic partnerships within San Francisco’s robust and generous design and manufacturing communities who delivered excess inventory (thank you Tina Jones of City Lights) which may have been on a circuitous route to landfill. With Maureen Sedonaen’s openness to new solutions, and our mission of holding enduring design at the forefront of our process, we were able to shift the ‘problem’ of using ‘one of’s’, to be seen as a meaningful solution that resulted in more individualized interior stories where families can feel that their home’s personality is as unique as their own.
Production schedules pivoted to accommodate a process that might, at first glance appear more ‘Custom Home’ than ‘Affordable Home’, however, with keen coordination, communication and an understanding that we were beating budget and delivering beautiful, sustainable and equitable solutions, we created a system that allowed our choices to land beautifully.
Similar to how architects create a sense of ‘belonging’ in how the structure meets a neighborhoods’ sensibilities, the interior finishes provide an additional layer of belonging for the families within. With confidence that light fixtures deliver ample light or that refrigerators stand the test of time, a family’s focus can be on life, not repairs. And funds can be directed to school supplies, summer holidays or a new family desktop.
With costs to build in the Bay Area as they are, leveraging circular solutions also offered a sharp advantage to the project’s bottom line—while still delivering homes that leaves NIMBY’s unable to utter a complaint.
With the need for more sustainable practices in every sector, and pressure from Extended Producer Responsibility, I’m excited to continue to bring meaningful and important new practices that allow for circular solutions that solve a multitude of modern-day problems.
The sourcing strategies that intercept landfill paths play a crucial role in our commitment to sustainability. By actively seeking out alternative sources and materials, we are able to bring higher quality finishes by working with overstock or sample lines. Manufacturers are incentivized to donate to help manage Extended Manufacturer Responsiblity and we delivery homes of greater equity. These strategies involve a comprehensive evaluation of our supply chains, identifying opportunities to repurpose materials and collaborate with eco-conscious suppliers.
Bath bars, as gifted by San Francisco’s City Lights, were assorted from showroom sample lines, affording each bath a unique experience and personality with the fixtures from a mix of manufacturers including Kohler, George Kovacs, Modernform. Solid stone quartz countertop and bowl sink from MG Stone, a local San Francisco vendor.
“Beautiful, well-designed and built homes are the number one deterent to NIMBY-ism.”
“We are constantly staying ahead of the curve to find innovative solutions which reduce impacts of overproduction while offering cost-friendly solutions to organizations.”
Donations of Daltile were used for a beautiful and protective detail for the kitchens. Solid surface quartz countertops were fabricated and installed by San Francisco’s MG Stone, a repeat and critical vendor for Habitat Greater San Francisco’s projects.
materials—circular, sustainable & equitable