Pro-File Design: Richard Beard Architects

Growing up in Houston, Texas, Richard Beard, FAIA, had a courtside view of the building industry. His grandfather was a land planner, and his father was a contractor who built spec and custom homes in a variety of contemporary and traditional styles. When Richard was in his teens, he took note when one of the designers who worked for his father, Sam Bass, found a way to improve the standard suburban house. “He came up with the concept of a courtyard house for the typical Houston subdivision. The courtyard filled the house with light and air and gave it privacy from the street. I saw how an innovation could make a difference in the marketplace,” he says. “It worked so well, and was so popular.”

For nearly 50 years, Richard has been similarly inspired to give people “a better life through design.” For the first act of his career, he oversaw residential projects at BAR Architects, becoming the firm’s first non-founding partner. Like the late Howard Backen (the “B” in BAR), Richard went on to establish his own substantial practice in 2014. It has grown to a staff of 25 over the last decade, including partner Brett Moyer and associate partners Rebecca Lischwe and Daniel Widlowski. 

Based in San Francisco, Richard Beard Architects focuses on custom residential work, which includes new construction as well as historic renovations. Among the latter is a thoughtful update of Joseph Esherick’s 1961 McIntyre House in Hillsborough, California, an iconic but not particularly livable 9,000-square-foot home (Case Study, RD V5, 2021).

“Some of my favorite houses are modern houses, but it is not easy to make them feel comfortable,” notes Richard. “A lot of times, they don’t exude warmth and charm.” 

He has been interested in historic architecture, however, since his days at Rice University in Houston, where he found his classes about the history of architecture unexpectedly fascinating. “I had this sudden realization that architecture reflects the culture of the time. It lags a bit more because it is so capital intensive, but it’s a record of cultural expression,” he says.

After joining BAR Architects a few years after graduating in 1977, he worked on some multifamily housing projects that would prove to be extremely influential. Tasked with designing high-end senior multifamily housing in Japan for a creative and demanding client, he thought deeply about how to infuse tradition into contemporary architecture. “What really struck me most of all about Japanese culture was the reverence for the passage of time. They have a cyclical view of time, rather than a linear one. The seasons and their yearly cycle are key. So the orientation to landscape, the change of seasons, and light are very, very important. What’s the light going to look like in the fall? How are the gardens going to be integrated with daily life?”

One way the senior complexes integrated the outdoors was via an extended entry sequence; after passing through the main entrance, residents would see various views of landscapes and outdoor elements along the way to their individual units. In traditional Japanese homes, the garden and the house are one, and the garden gate is the de facto “front door.” Richard describes the difference thus: “To exaggerate, an American home in a subdivision has a front door that no one ever uses, and a garage that you never drive into. Instead, you park and go straight through the back door. In Japan, it’s completely different. The journey to the house is as important as the building itself. Crafting these sequences of how you experience the building and how it integrates with various views of gardens is an enriching process, creating a different way of living that is much more rewarding to people.”

In addition to a reverence for tradition and culture, the firm’s portfolio showcases its ability to work with others who have a strong design vision. “We have a heightened interest in interiors and landscape architecture and the integration of those disciplines,” says Richard. “We try to keep really talented landscape designers and interior designers as our friends and collaborators on all of our projects. And it really pays off.”

Set Design

To get a sense of the rewarding environments that Richard Beard Architects designs, Westridge is one of the firm’s first projects (Richard began working on it at BAR Architects but completed it after going out on his own). The one-story, 7,500-square-foot home is in Portola Valley, in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, and is designed to help the homeowners commune with nature. “It feels very rural even though it is so close to the whole Bay Area,” says Richard. “You want to experience this beautiful outdoor setting and an amazing climate. It has an enormous amount of exposure, whether it’s to that big view of Windy Hill [an area landmark] or to enclosed courtyards or other garden areas.”

To maximize natural light and outdoor exposure, the house is only one room deep and is designed as a series of linked pavilions. “You take the building and pull it apart, which makes for a much more engaged composition with the landscape,” he adds.

The entry to the house is a carefully choreographed sequence: You get out of your car, then walk through a garden to reach the front door. You’re momentarily in the low-ceilinged foyer—a tightly compressed space à la Frank Lloyd Wright—before entering the lofty living room, where the big view is unveiled.

Another house, also on the Peninsula, has an even more cinematic entry sequence. You approach what looks like a stone farmhouse building from the old country. The wooden door, with an inlaid herringbone pattern, is highlighted by a small copper sconce on either side. Passing through the door, you are outside once again, in a courtyard, walking alongside a narrow pool of water. The pool reflects the sky and a small grove of dogwood trees, which change from green to red in the fall. In front of you is the modern world: The home’s foyer is a soaring glass-walled volume, with a sculptural elliptical staircase that ascends into the double-height space. Before you even go through the steel-framed glass door, your attention is captured by the vast lawn that you can see extending behind the 21/2-acre property. “Everybody is photokinetic, so you’re always drawn to light,” notes Richard. 

The Peninsula Residence is the home of clients who wanted something contemporary but also warm. The design team broke the 12,000-square-foot home down into a series of volumes, using just a few materials: limestone, glass, black metal, cedar. “Because the program is so large, this house is assembled like a village, with varied rooflines that provide a romantic view of the home. You don’t ever feel like you’re looking at one huge house,” he says. And what does the residence say about our culture today? “It’s a modern expression of the desire for permanence and stability,” he says.

Working Across Time

Lest you think that Richard Beard Architects only works on a certain scale, consider Cole House, an historic 1880s farmhouse outside of Calistoga. The 2,400-square foot, one-story building was in terrible shape when the owners acquired the winery property. The interiors were depressingly dark: The stained wood beadboard had turned nearly black, and the oak parquet flooring was sadly worn. To renew the interiors, the design team removed the beadboard, flipped it around, and painted it white. The oak parquet was hiding a Douglas fir subfloor in good condition, which was sanded, stained, and finished. The attic was reduced to raise the ceiling heights, but not entirely removed in order to retain space for insulation, HVAC, and homeowner storage. The ceiling was exposed, showcasing the rafters and joists, adding to the rustic appeal of the home. “It’s so incredibly charming,” says Richard. “The wraparound porch just kind of gets everyone.”

Later on, the firm returned to design a new main residence farther up the hill, overlooking the winery and Cole House. “The early, character-defining historic buildings on the property were rare survivors of a time that no longer exists,” notes Richard. “For the new house, the clients wanted a break from that history and the daily work setting. So it seemed natural to turn toward modernity and more relaxed living.” Leaving the gabled past behind, Diamond Mountain, an 8,500-square-foot home, is sleek and linear, leveraging its panoramic view. The materials are glass, steel, board-formed concrete, and black painted wood. To soften up the sharp lines, the ceilings and soffits are lined with clear western red cedar planks. 

 “The house has broader views of the geography, bolder uses of materiality, and even a slight Japanese feeling,” says Richard. And, as is true of the firm’s work in general, he adds, “The path through the building is as important as the building form in delivering the experience.”