Healdsburg, California, USA

At the top of a gently sloping drive girded by sinuous board formed concrete retaining walls, Whispering Stones straddles the dominant East-West Ridge. The home and the surrounding site work, a cruciform parti anchored by a concrete stair tower, softly tiptoes around existing trees and above the natural topography; it disturbs little. The outstretched North-South primary building mass is at once grounded, then soaring and cantilevered above the land marking a datum to the uninterrupted sweep of valley below.

Three levels provide 8,500 SF of interior living space, while these same levels create shaded terraces below that directly engage the land. Centered in the linear arrangement of spaces, the glass bridge above the Entry and a sculptural “Braille” wall compresses the volume between the entrance and the Kitchen and Living areas. The slender and elongated primary building volume allows for whole building cross ventilation as well as uniform daylighting while broad horizontal overhangs, trellis’ and finned window mullions provide shading to reduce internal solar heat gains and cast beautiful, ever changing shadows on the building walls.

In-floor zoned radiant heating combined with the thermal mass of architectural concrete walls at the stair tower and main level modulates temperature fluctuations. These passive strategies are augmented with Pool and Domestic Hot Water roof mounted solar panels. Photovoltaic solar arrays, integrated with the power grid, provide electrical power and charge battery backup systems that provide supplemental power during municipal outages.

The threat of California Wildfires, including the nearby Wallbridge Fire in 2020, prompted provisions for a Thermogel building and perimeter fire protection system which can be deployed to suppress fire spread. During a fire event, mobile tanks of water gelling Thermogel, an environmentally compatible and water soluble compound, can be pumped and distributed from the building roof providing fire and flame spread retardation to the building and surrounding vegetation.

Precise, rectilinear geometry in bold horizontal strokes is a sharp contrast to the undulating and native landscape. The materiality also provides a similar contrast: concrete, glass, stainless steel, aluminum trellises and Western Red Cedar siding are detailed and crafted with clarity; a sharp counterpoint to the grasses and twisted trunks of Oaks.

Architects: Swatt and Partners
Design Team: Robert Swatt, Michael Lemberg, Lars Nilsson, Connie Wong, and Kimie Jurado
General Contractor: C.R. Buildworks, Inc.
Client: Private
Photographers: Tim Griffiths