GARDEN VIEW ADU

Nestled in a sunny hillside – this airy, bright detached ADU is built on a family home in Oakland. The incredibly hands-on and exuberant owners that are an active part of the building team are downsizing and the matriarch will be aging in place. DDB designed a contemporary ADU suiting all of the owner’s dwelling needs with an integrated loft office, bedroom, kitchen, and bath. The double-height property is the epitome of sustainable intergenerational living. The build process is meticulously integrating a modern green design – adding rooftop solar array, passive solar shading devices, a highly efficient building envelope and rainscreen system, energy-efficient fixtures and appliances, EV charging station, an energy-efficient heat pump HVAC system, and sustainably sourcing materials whenever possible.

The indoor-outdoor living space is adorned with a splendid accordion glass door and a spacious kitchen with a dining counter that allows you to sit indoors or outdoors on either side of it. The cedar siding and custom trellis are built for horizontal shading, generously flooding the house with natural light. Guided by the owner’s ecological affinities, the noteworthy standing seam metal dormer style roof adds headroom, and is equipped with a deck overlooking a serene permaculture garden (the owners have often used said garden to supply local restaurants with fresh produce).