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Michael Hennessey Architecture

Based in San Francisco, Michael Hennessey Architecture produces single-family residences marked by mullionless corner glazing that visually dissolves building edges, sharply cantilevered metal volumes, and trimless transitions between solid planes and glass. The portfolio provides a strong reference for detailing frameless glass envelope junctions and projecting residential living spaces directly into surrounding light and fog.

Two-story dark box volume house nestled in foggy coastal trees with full-height glazed corners by Michael Hennessey Architecture.

Two-story dark box volume house nestled in foggy coastal trees with

A moody exterior precedent demonstrating how a dark-clad, two-story residential box with corner glazing interacts with a foggy, tree-heavy site.

What we like about this project
The corner glazing wraps continuously without a visible vertical corner column, dissolving the massing edge.

Materials

  • dark-metal-panel
  • glass
  • timber
  • steel

Visual identifiers

  • corner-glazing
  • dark-cladding
  • two-story-volume
  • foggy-setting

Style tags

  • contemporary
  • minimalist
  • modern-cabin

Visual tags

  • residential
  • coastal
  • woodland
  • modern
  • glow
  • transparency
Geometry
A two-story orthogonal rectangular volume sits stepped into a sloping landscape, featuring floor-to-ceiling corner glazing that wraps the upper level.
Facade system
Dark panelized exterior cladding paired with large glazed storefront corners.
Structural guess
Steel or wood frame with large span corner headers supporting the upper level.
Spatial scale
Compact two-story residential scale, intimate in relation to the massive foreground tree.
Lighting
Twilight/fog condition with warm interior artificial illumination contrasting against cool, overcast exterior light.
Atmosphere
Serene and mysterious, balancing heavy shadow and cool fog against a warm internal glow.
Environmental context
Sloping coastal or woodland site surrounded by mature evergreen trees, dense underbrush, and heavy fog.
Spatial experience
Approached through dense trees and fog, the glowing interior volumes provide a warm lantern-like beacon embedded in a moody landscape.
Composition rhythm
Vertical tree trunks frame a central stacked rectangular mass with floor-to-ceiling corner apertures.
Style reading
Contemporary minimalist cabin
Program
Single-family residence
Perspective
Exterior Facade
Discipline
architecture
Materials
dark-metal-panel, glass, timber, steel
Visual identifiers
corner-glazing, dark-cladding, two-story-volume, foggy-setting
Style tags
contemporary, minimalist, modern-cabin
Visual tags
residential, coastal, woodland, modern, glow, transparency
Geometry
A two-story orthogonal rectangular volume sits stepped into a sloping landscape, featuring floor-to-ceiling corner glazing that wraps the upper level.
Facade system
Dark panelized exterior cladding paired with large glazed storefront corners.
Structural guess
Steel or wood frame with large span corner headers supporting the upper level.
Spatial scale
Compact two-story residential scale, intimate in relation to the massive foreground tree.
Lighting
Twilight/fog condition with warm interior artificial illumination contrasting against cool, overcast exterior light.
Atmosphere
Serene and mysterious, balancing heavy shadow and cool fog against a warm internal glow.
Environmental context
Sloping coastal or woodland site surrounded by mature evergreen trees, dense underbrush, and heavy fog.
Spatial experience
Approached through dense trees and fog, the glowing interior volumes provide a warm lantern-like beacon embedded in a moody landscape.
Composition rhythm
Vertical tree trunks frame a central stacked rectangular mass with floor-to-ceiling corner apertures.
Style reading
Contemporary minimalist cabin
Program
Single-family residence
Perspective
Exterior Facade
Discipline
architecture

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Directories

  • Firms
  • Patterns

AI Native Apps

  • AI Mode Search
  • SoftMarket
  • 2nd Brain

About HappyCluster

  • About
  • How it works
  • Contact

Connect

  • Waitlist
  • X
  • GitHub

Legal

  • Privacy
  • Terms

HappyCluster

© 2026

Two-story dark box volume house nestled in foggy coastal trees with full-height glazed corners by Michael Hennessey Architecture.

Two-story dark box volume house nestled in foggy coastal trees with

A moody exterior precedent demonstrating how a dark-clad, two-story residential box with corner glazing interacts with a foggy, tree-heavy site.

What we like about this project
The corner glazing wraps continuously without a visible vertical corner column, dissolving the massing edge.

Materials

  • dark-metal-panel
  • glass
  • timber
  • steel

Visual identifiers

  • corner-glazing
  • dark-cladding
  • two-story-volume
  • foggy-setting

Style tags

  • contemporary
  • minimalist
  • modern-cabin

Visual tags

  • residential
  • coastal
  • woodland
  • modern
  • glow
  • transparency
Geometry
A two-story orthogonal rectangular volume sits stepped into a sloping landscape, featuring floor-to-ceiling corner glazing that wraps the upper level.
Facade system
Dark panelized exterior cladding paired with large glazed storefront corners.
Structural guess
Steel or wood frame with large span corner headers supporting the upper level.
Spatial scale
Compact two-story residential scale, intimate in relation to the massive foreground tree.
Lighting
Twilight/fog condition with warm interior artificial illumination contrasting against cool, overcast exterior light.
Atmosphere
Serene and mysterious, balancing heavy shadow and cool fog against a warm internal glow.
Environmental context
Sloping coastal or woodland site surrounded by mature evergreen trees, dense underbrush, and heavy fog.
Spatial experience
Approached through dense trees and fog, the glowing interior volumes provide a warm lantern-like beacon embedded in a moody landscape.
Composition rhythm
Vertical tree trunks frame a central stacked rectangular mass with floor-to-ceiling corner apertures.
Style reading
Contemporary minimalist cabin
Program
Single-family residence
Perspective
Exterior Facade
Discipline
architecture
Materials
dark-metal-panel, glass, timber, steel
Visual identifiers
corner-glazing, dark-cladding, two-story-volume, foggy-setting
Style tags
contemporary, minimalist, modern-cabin
Visual tags
residential, coastal, woodland, modern, glow, transparency
Geometry
A two-story orthogonal rectangular volume sits stepped into a sloping landscape, featuring floor-to-ceiling corner glazing that wraps the upper level.
Facade system
Dark panelized exterior cladding paired with large glazed storefront corners.
Structural guess
Steel or wood frame with large span corner headers supporting the upper level.
Spatial scale
Compact two-story residential scale, intimate in relation to the massive foreground tree.
Lighting
Twilight/fog condition with warm interior artificial illumination contrasting against cool, overcast exterior light.
Atmosphere
Serene and mysterious, balancing heavy shadow and cool fog against a warm internal glow.
Environmental context
Sloping coastal or woodland site surrounded by mature evergreen trees, dense underbrush, and heavy fog.
Spatial experience
Approached through dense trees and fog, the glowing interior volumes provide a warm lantern-like beacon embedded in a moody landscape.
Composition rhythm
Vertical tree trunks frame a central stacked rectangular mass with floor-to-ceiling corner apertures.
Style reading
Contemporary minimalist cabin
Program
Single-family residence
Perspective
Exterior Facade
Discipline
architecture

Related in this portfolio