For a 1970s condominium renovation, Jim Zack, FAIA, and Leland Classen seized the opportunity to run with their design vision. “A good client is willing to let us do what we want,” Jim says. “The freedom allows us to explore and build.”
The owner wanted to wake up to views of the San Francisco skyline and open up the unit’s floor plan for entertaining and showcasing his art collection. The designers constructed a 20-foot-long, 8-foot-tall sliding interior door of steel panels that visually connects the bedroom to the living areas when open. The curved movable wall rolls smoothly on casters in a steel track routed into the walnut floor and closes against a steel elliptical-shaped chase, which houses a heating vent and the chimney flue of the unit below.
Jim and Leland are no strangers to steel, having incorporated the industrial material in previous residential projects. In this unit, they also expertly designed, fabricated, and installed the material into a bespoke kitchen island, backsplash, and minimalist trim for the sliding door frame. Steel shelving, panels, and casework line the walls of the unit. “The relentless use of this steel is one of the strongest parts of this design,” the jury said. “They didn’t decide to use a different material in one room versus the other. This is what an architectural interior is.”
Citation | Architectural Interiors
Zack | de Vito Architecture + Construction
STEEL Life
San Francisco, California
Project Credits
Architect: Jim Zack, FAIA, principal in charge; Leland Classen, project architect, Zack | de Vito Architecture + Construction, San Francisco
Builder, Interior Designer, Lighting Designer, Steel Fabricator: Zack | de Vito
Furniture Designer: Jim Zack, Zack | de Vito
Furnituremaker: Lawrence Gandsey Furniture
Millwork: Cabinets Quick, Los Angeles; Zack | de Vito
Steel Supplier: Van Bebber Brothers
Wood Slabs for Custom Furniture: Evan Shively, Arborica
Project Size: 1,000 square feet
Construction Cost: Withheld
Photography: Bruce Damonte
Key Products
Cabinetry: Treefrog Veneer, Cabinets Quick
Cabinetry Hardware: Schoolhouse Electric Co.
Countertops: Dekton, Spec Ceramics, Mutina America + Z Collection
Door Hardware: Level (entry); Milcasa (office); Emtek (bathroom); Johnson Hardware (bedroom); Sugatsune (bedroom)
Grilles: Architectural Grille
Faucets: Graff, Hansgrohe
Lighting, Interior: CSL, Tech Lighting, Moooi, Sonneman, WAC Lighting, Core, Hafele, Matteo Lighting, Modern Lighting, Visual Comfort
Lighting Control Systems: Lutron
Paint: Vasari, Benjamin Moore
Picture Rail: Arakawa
Range: Bosch induction
Sinks: Franke, Grohe, Laufen
Skylights: VELUX
Refrigerator: Fisher & Paykel
Toilets: Duravit
Tub: Aquatica
Wallboard: Treefrog Veneer
Washer/Dryer: LG
Window Wall Systems: All Weather Architectural Aluminum