Faulkner Architects designed this home in Orinda, California Northern California-based firm Faulkner Architects has designed a striking home in Orinda, just east of Berkeley, with towering sections of Cor-Ten steel and glass making up the facade.
Inspired by a large oak tree found on the site, architect Greg Faulkner conceived of the residence as a ?quiet presence? that still had a strong design identity. The result is a three-bedroom built for a family with two young sons that is at once dramatic and sensitive to its wooded surroundings.

Miner Road, as the project is called, takes its cues from the nearly eight-acre site and a ramshackle house that once stood on the premises. Only a large fireplace remains from the old dwelling and now acts as an anchor in the living room?arguably the property?s most show-stopping element. Here, a double-height wall of windows frames the outdoors from within, while sliding glass pocket doors open up the soaring room to a garden patio. The interiors are clad in white oak, which lines the floors as well as portions of the walls and ceilings. To further the indoor-outdoor connection, a concrete bench extends from the interior of the great room to the outside.
Other unique features of the home include a perforated-metal-screened ?pacing deck? that runs alongside the mezzanine-level master suite and office, a rainwater collection system, and solar paneling. Taken all together, the ever-changing weathering steel facade ...