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When you live in a city, you have to grab whatever little piece of nature you can. Especially when you live in this city—with its Mediterranean-like views, blue (okay, mostly blue) skies and relatively mild weather. Luckily, we San Franciscans are experts at carving out decks, balconies and gardens from our urban homes. Take, for instance, the roof deck above. Local architect Jonathan Feldman (feldmanarchitecture.com) lives in this Buena Vista penthouse with his wife, Lisa, and daughter, Sasha. They loved the building’s Arts-and-Crafts charm and dramatic views, but its outdoor space left something to be desired. So Feldman decided to make their flat tar roof into a whimsical “lakeside pier.” He built the deck of ipe, a sustainably harvested hardwood from Brazil, then used recycled auto windshield glass on the remainder of the roof to imitate the look of water. The room that leads out to the deck features sliding-glass doors, so the view can also be enjoyed from inside on chilly days. “It was a bit of a folly,” says Feldman, “but it did transform an otherwise ugly roof into a visual garden, using recycled materials.” That’s the kind of folly we’d like to see more of.
When you live in a city, you have to grab whatever little piece of nature you can. Especially when you live in this city—with its Mediterranean-like views, blue (okay, mostly blue) skies and relatively mild weather. Luckily, we San Franciscans are experts at carving out decks, balconies and gardens from our urban homes. Take, for instance, the roof deck above. Local architect Jonathan Feldman (feldmanarchitecture.com) lives in this Buena Vista penthouse with his wife, Lisa, and daughter, Sasha. They loved the building’s Arts-and-Crafts charm and dramatic views, but its outdoor space left something to be desired. So Feldman decided to make their flat tar roof into a whimsical “lakeside pier.” He built the deck of ipe, a sustainably harvested hardwood from Brazil, then used recycled auto windshield glass on the remainder of the roof to imitate the look of water. The room that leads out to the deck features sliding-glass doors, so the view can also be enjoyed from inside on chilly days. “It was a bit of a folly,” says Feldman, “but it did transform an otherwise ugly roof into a visual garden, using recycled materials.” That’s the kind of folly we’d like to see more of.
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