Liberty Hill Garden

San Francisco, California

The house is located on top of a hill with spectacular panoramic views of San Francisco.  The lower garden has an old Magnolia tree that anchors the otherwise light-filled, open space.  Two long benches, made of recycled wood from a demolished fence on site, are organized around the trunk of the Magnolia. 

 Phase two of the design and construction process consists of a rooftop garden.  Detached from the rest of the living space, the garden is outside of the master bedroom on the third floor, and is used primarily for quiet purposes.  The garden construction was designed to act independently of the existing roof waterproofing system.  The gravel and wood platforms are elevated above the roof through a system of beams and rigid metal mesh.  Rainwater percolates through the materials and drains to the outlets, located at the perimeter of the roof walls.