Remodeling Guides
Architecture
Designer Sketch: Noel Cross
Hear about the California architect's new net-zero-energy home project and the first time a building brought him to tears
Noel Cross is an architect with many passions. Green design, Baroque-style art, Apple products and Spanish design are just a few of the loves of his life — all of which find a way to intersect in his architecture. His practice in San Jose, California, has done houses in all shapes and styles across California. From a cliff-front house in Gualala to a barn in Mendocino County to a beach house in Santa Cruz, Cross' distinct style and passions come across in all of them. "Every project is different," he says. "I never get bored."
Profile: Noel Cross+Architects | Find an architect or designer
Profile: Noel Cross+Architects | Find an architect or designer
What's the most exciting thing you're working on now?
A net-zero-energy home in Los Altos Hills. It's a very modern (actually what I call "earthy modern") home with spectacular views of the San Francisco Bay. It will be heated and cooled with a ground-source heat-pump system, has a rammed-earth feature wall, a living roof, a rooftop vegetable garden and orchard, a rainwater reclamation and tons of solar panels — every green and energy-saving feature we could think of. It will be close to net zero energy, which is very cool, and it's going to look really cool as well.
Who’s one of your favorite artists?
Vermeer. The sense of light in his paintings is unbelievable. "Girl With a Pearl Earring" is magical. I can stare at it for hours.
The most important thing on your desk is …
I don't know what I would do without my iMac and iPhone. Thank you, Steve. You were the best.
Favorite classic furniture piece?
The Gehry cardboard Wiggle chair or the Gerrit Rietveld Red & Blue chair.
Make tract-house developers use really good architects, an appropriate amount of budget, and incorporate better long-term thinking. Over 90% of Americans live in houses with extremely substandard design and cheap materials, and the public doesn't know what they are missing. The health of our planet and our quality of life suffer greatly because of it.
Your ideal client is …
A combination of knowing what they want functionally and stylistically enough to give you a strong direction, and then are still wide open to being inspired and educated. It helps if they are very involved and interested, ask lots of questions, and also are able to understand and respect the architect's vision.
A net-zero-energy home in Los Altos Hills. It's a very modern (actually what I call "earthy modern") home with spectacular views of the San Francisco Bay. It will be heated and cooled with a ground-source heat-pump system, has a rammed-earth feature wall, a living roof, a rooftop vegetable garden and orchard, a rainwater reclamation and tons of solar panels — every green and energy-saving feature we could think of. It will be close to net zero energy, which is very cool, and it's going to look really cool as well.
Who’s one of your favorite artists?
Vermeer. The sense of light in his paintings is unbelievable. "Girl With a Pearl Earring" is magical. I can stare at it for hours.
The most important thing on your desk is …
I don't know what I would do without my iMac and iPhone. Thank you, Steve. You were the best.
Favorite classic furniture piece?
The Gehry cardboard Wiggle chair or the Gerrit Rietveld Red & Blue chair.
Make tract-house developers use really good architects, an appropriate amount of budget, and incorporate better long-term thinking. Over 90% of Americans live in houses with extremely substandard design and cheap materials, and the public doesn't know what they are missing. The health of our planet and our quality of life suffer greatly because of it.
Your ideal client is …
A combination of knowing what they want functionally and stylistically enough to give you a strong direction, and then are still wide open to being inspired and educated. It helps if they are very involved and interested, ask lots of questions, and also are able to understand and respect the architect's vision.
What inspires your designs?
Many things. My love of architecture, all styles, modern being my favorite currently. The environment, the specific site and the surrounding region are huge inspirations. Probably most of all are my clients. My only nonnegotiable is that they must love their home, so I take a lot of inspiration from what they are dreaming of, what would make them the most happy and proud. I try to capture their souls and create a shelter for their psyche, if that makes sense. The bottom line is that buildings are for people, so they for me are the most important inspiration. The site is a very close second; in some cases it's a tie.
Where's your go-to place for inspiration?
Outside. Nature.
Where in the world do you want to go next? Why?
Spain. Man, I am just dying to see Barcelona and the work of Antonio Gaudi, and then drive over to Bilbao and experience Gehry's Guggenheim Museum firsthand. For me there are so many similarities in the work of these two great architects. Both are true artists deep down, and without art in architecture, you just have bricks and mortar with no soul. Why do it?
Do you still draw, or is everything on the computer now?
I still hand-draw every project, especially in the design phase. I leave the CAD to my wonderful staff, who are much better at it than I am. We eventually complete the design in 3D on the computer, which is an awesome and powerful tool, but most everything is still designed with a pen in my hand.
More Designer Sketches:
Jean Dufresne | Josh McCullar
Many things. My love of architecture, all styles, modern being my favorite currently. The environment, the specific site and the surrounding region are huge inspirations. Probably most of all are my clients. My only nonnegotiable is that they must love their home, so I take a lot of inspiration from what they are dreaming of, what would make them the most happy and proud. I try to capture their souls and create a shelter for their psyche, if that makes sense. The bottom line is that buildings are for people, so they for me are the most important inspiration. The site is a very close second; in some cases it's a tie.
Where's your go-to place for inspiration?
Outside. Nature.
Where in the world do you want to go next? Why?
Spain. Man, I am just dying to see Barcelona and the work of Antonio Gaudi, and then drive over to Bilbao and experience Gehry's Guggenheim Museum firsthand. For me there are so many similarities in the work of these two great architects. Both are true artists deep down, and without art in architecture, you just have bricks and mortar with no soul. Why do it?
Do you still draw, or is everything on the computer now?
I still hand-draw every project, especially in the design phase. I leave the CAD to my wonderful staff, who are much better at it than I am. We eventually complete the design in 3D on the computer, which is an awesome and powerful tool, but most everything is still designed with a pen in my hand.
More Designer Sketches:
Jean Dufresne | Josh McCullar
In my senior year of high school I took an architectural drafting course, loved it, and never looked back.
When I was in my early 20s I went to the Ahwanee dining room in Yosemite, and got all choked up when I first saw it as a trained architect. The same happened in Paris when I first saw the Notre Dame Cathedral — I just broke down in tears. My goal is to inspire feelings such as those in my clients. Otherwise what's the point?
Which iconic architects would you love a chance to work with?
Herzog & de Meuron, or Frank Gehry, or Lake | Flato.
What's your favorite new thing you've seen online?
I just visited this winery [Dominus Winery] by Herzog & de Meuron in Yountville — truly spectacular architecture.
What new color or material are you using now?
COR-TEN [weathering] steel for exterior siding. No maintenance, great natural [range of] colors, and it changes over time.