Guest Pavillion | Hillsborough, CA
Greg Upwall was co-designer and project manager of this project while employed at the office of Holt Hinshaw. Situated on a hillside within a 40 acre wooded estate, the small building is envisioned as a retreat to house visiting guests, and provide a private apartment for more permanent habitation on the lower level. Both units are accessed from the garage area at street level, but upon descending to the podium level below, all views of the exterior are blocked by the heavy stone wall and figuratively left behind. The lower level, built into the hillside with its private patio, is defined by the solid stone walls which extend to define the back of the garage at street level and form a solid terrestrial foundation on which the lighter guesthouse is perched above. The guesthouse is designed as on open pavilion like space with large operable glazed door panels that can be opened onto small sculpture courts and extending the private space from interior to the stone wall. Toward the downhill side of the property the guesthouse likens the deck of a ship offering stunning views across the hillside toward the San Francisco Bay. The juxtaposition between solid and light suggest permanence and shelter contrasted with the more temporary habitation of the guest pavilion. Points of entry and view corridors are carefully taken into account in order to further distinguish the contrasting character and privacy between the two units.