Financial District Penthouse
The project was a back to bare studs project designed to entertain. The project won two awards — the AIA Design Award and the California Golden Nugget. It is one of several projects done in the building, including all the penthouses. The primary purpose was to entertain.
Michael Austin and the architect, John Marx of Form 4 Architecture worked together on a near daily basis to effect John’s designs. Individual craftsmen were brought in as the project progressed and the three of us (myself, john, and the craftsman) often, literally, sat on the floor sketching the next step, discussing material options, cost, and tying elements together. An example is an additional guest bedroom was desired. Space was tight: the bedroom needed to be formed out of the Living/Study area. The moveable wall was born. The movable wall is a cantilevered wood-clad steel frame unit with 30 “windows” was designed to pivot out to form a wall and, when in position, both formed a wall and revealed a pull-down bed. The project was one of the most rewarding projects I have ever worked on.
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