There are projects that mark a turning point in your career—where design becomes more than a solution and transforms into a kind of alchemy. For me, that was the Kamen Residence.
Set high above Sonoma’s vineyards, this home was our studio’s first foray into working with rammed earth, and what a way to begin. We had the extraordinary fortune of collaborating with the late David Easton and his team at Rammed Earth Works—pioneers of the material in North America. Unbeknownst to us at the time, this would be David’s final rammed earth project, and the gravity of that has never left me. His expertise, generosity, and passion infused the walls with a kind of quiet dignity, anchoring the home to the land in a way no other material could.
The Kamen Residence brought together a constellation of firsts: the first installation in the United States of BBG Hyline doors and windows—glass planes so massive and precise they required careful choreography to integrate into the design. It was also the inaugural project for Annadel Builders, whose craftsmanship and commitment were unwavering from the first meeting to the final detail. But perhaps more than any technical milestone, this was a project about trust, collaboration, and mutual respect. The Kamens, David and his team, the builders, landscape architects, and our studio shared a singular vision: to create a home that felt elemental, grounded, and deeply personal.
The house is composed of three interlocking volumes, a quiet geometry nested along the natural contours of the hillside. Rammed earth walls run long and low, east to west, textured like sediment layers that belong to the Mayacamas themselves. Bands of Corten steel reach outward, drawing the eye to the horizon. The home’s mass is punctuated by glass so clear and expansive it disappears—allowing the views to become walls of their own. From the beginning, Robert and Evonne were adamant: this was to be a house that lived inside and out, that honored the land but offered sanctuary from it too.
We didn’t begin with a fixed aesthetic in mind. Instead, we listened. Robert knew he wanted “a simple box,” but that simplicity masked a refined intention. Every decision—every material, angle, and connection—was calibrated to support clarity, peace, and permanence. The roof floats like a pagoda above clerestory windows. The black walnut ceilings, the shou sugi ban accents, the river rock beds cradling a soaking tub—all echo a Japanese sensibility that is both disciplined and poetic. That influence, deeply personal to Evonne, shaped the soul of the home in quiet, powerful ways.
As an architect, it is rare to be given the gift of a client who understands the creative process as fluid, collaborative, and sacred. Robert brought his deep understanding of storytelling to the table. He understood structure, rhythm, and pacing. And most importantly, he understood that magic often happens in the unscripted moments. Our process was filled with them.
The Kamen Residence is not just a home. It is a moment in time. A convergence of people, materials, and ideas. A place shaped by fire and resilience, elevated by vision and trust. It stands as a tribute to the land, to craft, and to the relationships that make architecture not just a profession, but a calling.
I will forever be grateful to have played a part in it.