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The front door of this San Francisco row house opens into what was once a dark, low-ceilinged entry hall. Because light, views, and living spaces were on the floor above, architect Neal Schwartz says, “I wanted immediately to get people to think about moving up.” Schwartz’s clean, economical remodel of the 1950s-era residence accomplishes that goal with a laminated plexiglass screen that serves as the stair’s guardrail.
Developed in collaboration with the Oakland, Calif.–based architecture firm Studio Under Manufacture, the screen comprises seven layers of CNC-milled plexiglass glued into a rigid, three-dimensional unit. “We tested a bunch of different opacities and thicknesses to get the right translucency,” says Schwartz, whose firm is based in San Francisco. Inspiration for the design came, in part, from one of the homeowners’ work as a scientific illustrator. The result recalls mid-century-modern concrete block screens, Schwartz notes, “but with a much lighter, more organic patterning.”
