ALEXANDER RESIDENCE, BERKELEY
PROJECT STATEMENT
PLANS
PHOTOGRAPHS
Project Statement
James and Camilla Alexander Residence Complex: Berkeley Hills: 1989-91 ca.
Owner: J. & C. Alexander
G.C. : Jim Alexander
Architect: Daniel J. B-H. Liebermann & Associates: Edmund Leo; Melvyn Rosenthal
Models: Edmund Leo
Geophysical-Foundations: J. Pendergast; Jay Nelson
Structural: D. Liebermann/ Kenneth Hughes S. Eng; M.W. Liebermann, Civil/Struct. Eng. (dams).
Sustainable Energy/ Title 24: Michael Gable & Assoc.; Phillip Ceasar; Southwall Industries
A residential complex embodying several structures on a two-acre steep Berkeley hillside. Slopes uphill of access and construction of 60 to 75%. Fractured Franciscan geo complex containing a large peripheral colluvial slide zone. A west-south-west dominant orientation. Existing lesser structures (Boynton & Kegg) to be integrated.
The design strategy integrates critical engineering methods with architectural-visual and spatial concepts.
New construction, approximately 4000 sq. ft., is founded upon four terrace systems.
The lower system consists of six walls convex in plan, concave in section, built of
salvaged broken concrete flat slab graduated pieces in mortar over pier and grade beam.
This base terrace group provides horizontal usable landscape and entrance areas on a
steep forward down slope. Excavation spoils from the principal structural terraces
above were placed with wet compaction behind these walls. The most northerly will
contain a self bearing ferro-cement pool.
The dominant three structural terraces, i.e., containing buildings, are concave in plan with elliptical concave cross sections. Each terrace is generated by a group of walls of this shaping which converge forming butress-like peaks (see drawings), i.e., both concave and convex in plan. The walls are built of high strength shotcrete and of graduated cross-section from bottom to top, with a six inch minimum cross section. Dense reinforcement approximates classic shell building. The walls are dam-like shells of an anticlastic character. The three terrace system is embedded with ca. twenty foot deep concrete piers and grade beams. The grade beams are tied with "X" diagonals ongrade up and down slope, integrating the assemblage against lateral seismic displacement.
This wall array is finished on interior spaces with white cement; local limestone ashler on the exterior extensions. Because of the narrow transverse sections of the floor plans relative to south and west glazed high walls, the white shell walls, which are the virtual finished interior at slope-side, have a Trombe passive solar radiation and reflection function. In addition the shell walls contain solar hot water radiant tubing backed up by manifold and gas fired boiler.
The eccentric radiating timber roof framing (recycled 3x14 DF see Nr. 1) is born at two centers-at two levels on steel tube cluster moment arm columns with wide steel and timber bracket heads and plates. All framing is tied mechanically via tension bolts nuts and washers and steel rings at the columns , and stanchions anchored into the shell walls. Several peripheral moment arms eliminate "X" lateral bracing at the two story glazed walls. The continuous tie-down by stanchion at the shell walls provides most of the lateral strength.
In summary: by dedicating engineering precepts to a complex problem a solar and view orientated habitat was formed over topological (contour) grounded forces. The resulting oblate elliptical terraces and walls generate the essential spatial and plastic aspects of the architecture. At the same time an unstable heterogeneous ??? is stabilized and made usable, while yielding good seismic center of gravity gradient, slope retainage, embedded fire resistance, solar exposure and absorption, general super and substructural seismic stability. At the same time an economical yet vivifying environmental setting is created.
