Horizons is a contemporary retreat located in Petaluma, California, designed in 2019 by Signum Architecture.

Description
Our clients for this project are old friends, a couple who had worked with us on an earlier residential renovation before moving to Silicon Valley. When they decided to return and settle in Petaluma, we picked up where we had left off. Set in town, the site for this project lies between old farms and new development, surrounded by homes but with a clear view of the hills to the west.
Our intent was to create a contemporary retreat that embraces the land and views, taking full advantage of the site while mitigating the visual impact of nearby homes and tempering the effect of Petaluma?s infamous afternoon winds. Placement on the site was important to simultaneously capture the views of the hills and obscure the views of neighboring development. We rotated the house, setting it diagonally on its east-west facing site to orient it toward the westerly views and away from the afternoon winds that blow in from the east. This orientation also obscures the view of the neighboring houses, which are sited fairly close by.
The organization of the house is straightforward. Two strong axes form the core of the project. The first, which lies directly in line with the view, is expressed in walls of native stone. The second, set perpendicular to the first, is sheathed in stucco. The main entry, which is completely transparent, lies at the intersec...