2005 AIA Design Winner

Nardi returned to his developer roots to be able to fully control the design of this enclave of five homes in a secluded yet coveted neighborhood. The developments provocative design ideology broke a 40-year drought in modern design in the traditional and suburban college town of Claremont. This 5-lot single-family detached housing development is environmentally sensitive in its re-creation of urban scale, protection of existing vegetation, maximization of valley and mountain views, and mitigation of the impact of a new freeway.  Residents of the five homes enjoy one of the few places in the city with views of the valley. Great care has been taken to preserve and incorporate the existing mature oak and eucalyptus trees in to the site and home design. 

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The overall concept for this development is to allow nature to have a greater importance than the architecture. The plans respect the presence of nature by incorporating the available views, preserving 80% of the existing significant trees, planting drought resistant vegetation, and creating a very light architectural presence. The 3500 sq ft two-story houses have a contemporary design, incorporating a strong connection between indoor and outdoor spaces through the use of light and transparent construction. Houses are oriented on the lots to ensure views from nearly every room. The use of trellises, walls and roofline respects the views while shielding the house from the summer sun.