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33 South Third Street
San Jose, California
Photography:
David Wakely Photography
33 South Third engages the street and sidewalk with stoop-style townhouse units. Architectural details for these units quickly revealed a critical design challenge: the upscale, luxury market for the townhouses demand stone or cast stone quality materials at street level. Predictably, the project budget could not afford a stone or cast stone system for the entire first story.
A locally-produced ground face CMU surpassed stone in its beauty, depth, and richness, and also solved the construction budget problem by combining a structural wall and finish system into the same design element.
The developer had a vision of an “International Style” building in the strictest modernist tradition. The initial client meeting outlined themes including streamlined, simple massing, modern life style, and high ceilings with floor to ceiling glass. The design challenge was clear: design a modern style apartment building that provided tenants with warm, inviting and comfortable units and public spaces.
The irregular in-fill site, comprised of several vacant lots, compelled a response of two separate residential structures sitting on podium parking. The main building features a central mass, with stacked townhouse apartments. A large landscaped “green roof” courtyard is provided for tenants and creates a buffer between the main building and the second “saw-tooth” shaped building. The second building is comprised of three stories of apartments over ground floor retail.
The architectural response strives to embody the elegance and quiet sophistication of the Modern and Art Deco styles. Clean geometry and uncomplicated detailing, combined with a bold color scheme, serve to reinforce the vision.
Architect:
Berger Detmer Ennis,
Inc.
465 California Street,
Suite 350
San Francisco, CA 94104
Jonathan Ennis, AIA
Principal
E. Bruce Ross, FAIA
Consulting Architect
Structural
Engineer:
Biggs Cardosa Associates, Inc.
General
Contractor:
Barry Swenson Builder
Masonry
Contractor:
B & L Masonry
Block Producer:
Calstone Company, Inc.
Owner:
Saratoga Capital, Inc.
