US architecture firm David Baker Architects has completed a new guest house distinguished with a breath-taking envelope that wraps the front facade of the building with slender redwood sun shading panels. 

Named Harmon Guest House, the new building was added as part of the DBA’s h2hotel and Hotel Healdsburg to complete a trio of boutique eco-hotels adjacent to the square in Healdsburg, California. 

The new guest house sits on a narrow lot just to the north of h2hotel, bringing an increased capacity for sustainable accommodations and a needed parking resource for the popular wine-country town.

At ground level, a dramatic glass entry lobby and green stair set the tone of openness and welcome. The transparent façadeis screened with redwood sun shading and vine trellises at thestreet level. A sheltered bus-stop waiting bench is built into the face of the hotel.

Harmon Guest House features 39 efficient rooms—including six suites—in intimate pods grouped at the front and rear of the site. Between, a central courtyard crossed by glassed-in bridges brings in light and air. To the rear, the hotel overlooks Foss Creek. 

As part of its design and construction, the guest house is contributing to the further restoration of this riparian corridor. The property spans the creek, with a footbridgecrossing over to a creekside park with preserved and protectedtrees and native plantings.

Each guest room enjoys private outdoor space by way of a balcony or patio plus a view out toward either the main street and town square or the swimming pool and creek-side park behind. The common spaces and comfortable rooms feature a mix of classic and new furnishings and are warmed by simple, sophisticated local textiles and art.

The fourth-level restaurant offers the only rooftop bar in town that is open to the public. Adjacent to this social space, Merritt Hall—an event room named to honor hotel’s late developer Merritt Sher—is a flexible indoor-outdoor space suited for meetings, banquets, wine tastings, and more.

Aerial of the new design in its Healdsburg context

Ground floor plan

Second level plan

Upper level plan

Standard room plan

Section in east-west direction

Project facts

Developer/Owner: Piazza Hospitality

Architect: David Baker Architects

Interior Architect: David Baker Architects

Landscape: Andrea Cochran Landscape Architecture

Structural Engineer: KPFF Consulting Engineers

Lighting Designer: Horton Lees Brogden

MEP Engineer: Emerald City Engineers

Civil Engineer: Summit Engineering

Completed: 2018

Location: Heraldsburg, California 

All images © Bruce Damonte

All drawings © David Baker Architects

> via David Baker Architects