Cynthia Wang & Brendan Canning — Architect

“In design, we curate and assemble materials to express the volumetric forms and engage the senses.”

— Cynthia Wang & Brendan Canning, architect

The primary bedrooms and children’s play area are on the second floor, which is a cedar-sided box that cantilevers beyond the glass walls and over the terrace. A solid steel pipe supports the second floor in a structural system similar to a railroad bridge.

While the finished product is a seamless combination of modern elegance and down-to-earth ruggedness, bringing this innovative and interconnected style to life posed some unique challenges. This included trying to adapt a modern home design popular in Southern California to the wintry Sierra Nevada Mountains.

For example, while homes in snowy climates are typically designed with sloped roofs to accommodate snow build up, the clients, in keeping with the clean, sleek look, indicated they wanted the thinnest roof line possible over the formal living room and dining room.

Working with engineers, Wang and Canning designed the ceiling and roof as an inverted truss system of cables and rods to accommodate a flat and thin roof line. At the same time, lighting, heating, and cooling had to be designed to accommodate the large expanses of glass and minimal plenum space.

“Our clients believed in our ability to execute their vision architecturally,” Wang says. “We had quite a bit of creative freedom, but this project was truly a collaborative process. Solutions were always brought to the table, rather than issues.”

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