“Our design aesthetic is governed by the context of where we practice,” says Mary Dooley, AIA, principal architect at MAD Architecture, Petaluma, Calif. “We’re in a hybrid of a rural town in a rural county of a rural region, and metal makes a lot of sense for sort of semi-agricultural inspired buildings.”
The Petaluma, Calif.-based firm designs structures that recede into the landscape
The fire that swept through Sonoma County in 2017 wiped out a number of outbuildings on this property, and the Outback replaced those buildings. In that kind of environment, resilience is a driving philosophy for MAD Architecture. Using a pre-engineered metal building supplied by Garco Building Systems, Airway Heights, Wash., the new structure is clad in Corten and corrugated steel panels. The garage, shop, art studio and wine lab were consolidated into one structure.
Photo: MAD Architecture
MAD Architecture was formed by Dooley and her husband Chris Lynch, AIA, in 2003, and has served the community not only through its design work but also as a design inspiration and important influence on the built environment of the area.
“I’m always interested in buildings that recede into the landscape rather than stand up and shout, ‘Look at me.”
Petaluma has a population of about 58,000 and the surrounding area is rife with wineries and other agricultural enterprises. Historically, the area has always been agricultural, and at one time Petaluma was known as the “Egg Capital of the World.” The chicken coop was a prevalent architectural style, but, of course, the modern Petaluma and Sonoma County are very different. The median household income in the area is nearly $90,000 compared to the U.S. median household income of $65,000, and the downtown area has a number of well-preserved pre-1906 buildings and Victorian homes.
“There’s agrarian all around and still an influence,” says Lynch. “In the middle of downtown, there’s this nice mix of industry and commerce and residential that all comes together.” Dooley and Lynch have seen the opportunity to draw on the agrarian influences but, in response, offer an aesthetic that is contemporary, clean and simple. “We’ve been pushing metal in this town for 20 to 25 years,” he says. “Especially corrugated metal as a kind of great modern ag aesthetic material. Everybody thought because we were a town that had Victorian, that everything had to be Victorian, but we said, ‘no, there’s a diverse set of vernaculars here. You don’t have to do this traditional look everywhere.’”
The Miji House is a new custom home that fits neatly in the middle of mature live oaks. It speaks to the very specific idea MAD Architecture follows of listening to what the land gives them. By blending natural woods with metal, the home evokes the agrarian environment around them, but pushes it toward a more contemporary aesthetic. Even the form of the structure addresses the issue of listening to the land. The red tower leans back a bit. “There’s a whole story behind that,” says Lynch. “We wanted to respect the large oak tree. We wanted to say, ‘Hey, the tree was here first.’ So, we recede. We leaned the tower back in deference to the tree.”
Photo: The Morrisons Photography
“If you just let it expose itself. Don’t impose, let it expose. That’s probably our biggest design philosophy.”
A Working Relationship
Although MAD Architecture was formed in 2003, the relationship between Dooley and Lynch, who are married, stretches back more than 30 years to when they met at the University of California Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design. From that foundation they have begun a life-long conversation about the balance of sustainable design and stylistic solutions.
At MAD Architecture, they each design and manage their own projects, playing to their strengths as designers. “We handle our own projects,” says Dooley. “We’re the design leads for our own work and that helps our partnership because we’re also married. We’ve been working together for a really long time but we do collaborate. We’re both strong designers, and it works out better for each of to be the lead on our own projects.”
In some firms, that differentiation of work could lead to a bifurcation of design aesthetics, but for MAD Architecture, the design work is remarkably consistent. “I think one aspect of our design approach is that it shows some level of consistency,” says Dooley. “We strive for simplicity, which is a lot harder than it sounds. The simplicity of form and materials without trying too hard can really be a challenge. You’re not doing it in a vacuum. You’re doing it with people who are going to live or work there, so there’s a language of simple, clean and straight forward that is not overly complex.”
“There’s a little yin and yang in our relationship,” says Lynch. “We know which things we’re better at. We admit them. If we do collaborate, I’ve probably gotten into the details a little too soon, and she’s kicked me back out. If she’s staying at 30,000 feet too long, I can pull her back to earth. That a simplistic way of looking at how we synchronize.”
Listen to the Land
Currently, MAD Architecture does about half of its work in residential and half in commercial. The type of client that comes to the firm is varied and asks for a wide range of projects, from commercial wineries to custom homes to historic restoration to small multifamily projects to religious and more.
There is, though, a consistency of design across all those building types. One may not look like another, but they all do have a kind of MAD Architecture imprint that reflects Dooley and Lynch’s style. It’s subtle and simple and perfect for the environment in which they operate.
“I’m always interested in buildings that recede into the landscape,” says Dooley, “rather than stand up and shout, ‘Look at me.’ The best architecture around was not designed by anyone. It’s practical farm buildings. They have a utilitarian aspect.”
“The simple philosophy for us is that the context designs the project,” says Lynch. “Obviously, you have the client’s program, but once you have the program and you have your constraints and opportunities, then the site kind of designs the project itself. If you listen that just means you’re relying on the sun orientation, the wind, the views, all that stuff. It is in a fire area? If you just let it expose itself. Don’t impose, let it expose. That’s probably our biggest design philosophy.”
What does that mean in a practical sense and how does it relate to the firm’s use of metal building materials?
From an aesthetic point of view, that means using materials that work within the context of the landscape. That can be from an environmental aspect and from a built-environment aspect. In other words, Corten and other natural metals fit into the landscape of the Sonoma County area, which is soft browns and golden colors with some greens. Corten matches that environment beautifully.
Layer in sustainability issues, and you have a defined, clean, simple design aesthetic. “We balance metal building products against sustainability,” says Dooley. “We’re always thinking about it. All architecture has an impact and we have to address how we minimize that. I think of the reasons why we choose metal is its longevity and durability. It’s hard to find roofing alternatives that are better. For siding and roofing it’s also a matter of resilience. Between concrete and metal for the environment, we will choose metal. Between wood and metal, it depends on the location. People want to have that warmth. That’s why Corten is nice, but it doesn’t always fit in the budget.”
The restoration of this historic residence in Petaluma remains true to its original design. Because it was in an historic district, the exterior had to remain substantially unchanged. But the structure had been divided into two units and MAD Architecture returned it to a single-family home and reimagined the interior with a more contemporary design. “The stairway is a modern interpretation of an old stairway,” says Lynch. “Instead of 2-inch by 2-inch wooden pickets going up the stairs, we used steel that we ended up oiling. Instead of a rail, it ended up being this three-story vertical screening element in the middle of the stairway.”
Photo: The Morrisons Photography
Material Selection
As Dooley identifies, for MAD Architecture, there are two importance forces driving design decisions that are after the issue of context. One is sustainability and the other resilience. Context versus sustainability can create conflicts. For example, when choosing palettes. “Chris and I are big fans of deeper gray, zinc finishes,” says Dooley. “But cool roofs require light colors. Usually, we’re covering the roof with solar panels anyway and the gray tends to recede in the landscapes. Almost every landscape works with it, although we don’t use it a lot in town.”
Context matters and even though MAD Architecture uses metal building materials on their projects a lot, it is not a default decision. “The choice for metal is not automatic,” says Dooley.
The use of metal can be overdone. “In the right hands, though,” says Lynch, “it can always be done well and it can always be done poorly. But the other thing we argue is it’s pretty timeless. Metal’s a pretty timeless material depending on the color you pick. But if you’re using a natural Galvalume metal or Corten, keep it simple. That always seems to remain timeless and recedes into the landscape, which is what we like to do. We like things to recede and not call attention to themselves.”
For the right project, MAD Architecture also turns to pre-engineered metal buildings (PEMB). “We want to have as many tools in the box as possible to approach the design challenge,” says Dooley. “We don’t want to favor one thing over another.”
For MAD Architecture, PEMB is not necessarily a go to, but the firm does admire the speed of construction the process provides, and from a sustainable and resilience point of view, metal building systems provide an excellent opportunity. For projects that are too small—that don’t have a big enough square footage—PEMB don’t make sense economically or sustainably.
But because PEMB can be clad in metal and other fire-resistant materials, it fits nicely with the issue of resilience, which is so important to MAD Architecture. A significant number of the firm’s clients have lost homes or businesses to fires, so resilience and metal building materials are an essential part of the tool box.