Los Gatos, CA

In the hills above Los Gatos is a promontory that points to San José in the distant north. On the east is a ravine; on the west, a canyon dividing the promontory from a cleft mountain; and to the south, the continuation of the hill. Several old oaks remain on the flat clearing that provides the site for the Di Napoli house. Two bars, or walls, of inhabited space secure the open area of the promontory. A pavilion joins these walls, dividing the site into two courts, an entry court and a garden court. The pavilion is hollow, a space folded out of itself. The thickened walls track the contours of the terrain, remaking the ground on the roof. This roof, approached from above, forms the elevation of the building. It is also a promenade surveying the garden court, pool, canyon, and mountain. From the edge is a view of San José. The walls conceal and reveal views of the surroundings, providing varying experiences of the site from the rooms and different views along promenades and passages. The east wall has a guest wing and eating area. The west wall is the master suite with library and gym. The connecting pavilion is the formal living space. Below a garage is a caretaker’s suite. Above the house, in the hill, is a barn for a car collection, with a studio apartment and a deck overlooking the house riding the promontory below. The house is a symphonic tracking of the landscape through intersecting vertical and horizontal planes.