Walking between the oaks, sequoias, and flowering magnolias in Berkeley, California, where Sidell Pakravan Architects is based, is a reminder of the citys heritage within Bay Regional design: Homes and civic buildings by Bernard Maybeck, Julia Morgan, Christopher Alexander, William Wurster, and Daniel Liebermann, among others, create a local vernacular and support a distinctive lifestyle. Given the rising cost of construction, the need to densify, and the predominance of functionalif not purely economiccriteria for what gets built, it seems almost nostalgic or hoity-toity to expect the sensibilities of the past to persist. And yet if we want architecture to embody a view of life as a reality formed from intersections between economic, societal, and material complexities and constraints, then its imperative to recognize that these areas of overlap are what give rise to good buildings, Kristen Sidell, founding principal of Sidell Pakravan, told AN on a recent visit to the firms office, which numbers eight people. As cities grapple with peoples aversion to change on the one hand and state-mandated, often out-of-scale growth on the other, finding a middle ground will require us to reexamine our models, added Rudabeh Pakravan, her business partner.Sidell and Pakravan met in graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania at a time when parametric design was popular, before starting their practice in 2014. Despite this digital frenzy, physical models have remained the basis of their work. They both see architecture as a material engagement with the world around us, an encounter that focuses on the intersection of form and emotion, the made object and the lived experience, and the ability of architecture to shape that experience, Sidell explained. Behind the blue entry doors of their West Berkeley office, one encounters an abundance of foamcore models; these explore variations in volume, orientation, and openings. By centering their design process on models and architectures physicality, they can take an idea and push it against different constraints to get unanticipated outcomes. Those threads of investigation then inform how to proceed with the design. For us, its about pondering the physical plan and getting to know the client, then projecting the different pathways, Pakravan said.At every scale, our works formal simplicity serves the complexity of peoples spatial experiences, Sidell observed. We believe in the physicality of architecture as an act of social engagement. The spatial relationships that emerge from the models we make are spaces for people to enjoy their lives and interact.In mediating between reality and ideas, models allow for speculation and the unexpected, said Pakravan, who also teaches at UC Berkeley. Sidell added that these surprises help us understand constraints so we can push against them. Their bold, simple forms define an architecture that supports lifes unfolding, inside and out. Alcatraz ADU (Mikiko Kikuyama)Alcatraz ADU 2021Affordable housing is an urgent topic for architects. Soon after the Neighborhood Homes Investment Act was passed in 2021, providing a federal tax credit for the development and renovation of one-to-four-family homes in distressed neighborhoods, Sidell Pakravan considered how to apply the legislation to ADUs. This ADU, a true tiny house, transforms an existing North Oakland garage294 square feet of underused space into an efficient quadrant of bedroom, kitchen, shower, and bath. Light spills in from a skylight at the roof ridge and the walls are open at their tops, which allows the light to bounce off the ceiling above the exposed beams and across the cozy interior. ADUs are the subtlest way to densify communities, as they are typically hidden from street frontages.Northwesterly House (Courtesy Sidell Pakravan)Northwesterly House 2024The Northwesterly House on Spencer Creek in rural Napa County overlooks 10 acres of oaks and chaparral. Its design emerged from a series of models that set up a rhythm of monoliths, which helps to navigate the large site. Five walls create a formal organizational strategy that explores the relationships between framed and shifting views of the surrounding landscape and the indeterminate interior. The house seems solid and monumental, but upon approach, golfers. Sidell Pakravans new design reflects the aesthetics and materials of the original building, which dates from 1940, while creating a modern, inclusive setting that aims to honor the clubhouses history and resonate with the community. A restaurant with panoramic golf course views supports the Lake Chabot areas revitalization. the individual walls delaminate. They form in-between spaces, with interior partitions defining the living, dining, and sleeping zones. Inside, the concrete walls create a softer atmosphere. Oversized glazed doors on the west facade give it transparency and capture the summer breeze. The house plays on its orientation to create an array of constantly revealing spatial experiences. Ohlone Greenway Extension (Courtesy Sidell Pakravan)Ohlone Greenway Extension 2022The Ohlone Greenway is a 5.3-mile-long pedestrian and bicycle path that cuts diagonally through Berkeley, leaving a ragged edge of empty lots. The city recently allocated $5 million to extend it. Building on that vision, Sidell Pakravan proposed the addition of housing and community spaces along the new portion of the Greenway, with bike and walking paths, and pocket parks. The mid-density housing includes space for work, gathering, shared gardens, and a bicycle workshop. Inverting the pattern of nearby neighborhoods, the design uses volume, light, and space to blur the building edges and envelopes. New construction is booming, but neighborhood sensitivity is often an afterthought. We want to help the community and its leaders understand why they matter and show them that they can get better housing thats still affordable, Pakravan said.Lake Chabot Golf Course Clubhouse (Courtesy Sidell Pakravan)Lake Chabot Golf Course Clubhouse 2024One of Oaklands treasured landmarks, Lake Chabot Golf Course, founded in 1923, has a rich history of golfing legends. The original Mission Revivalstyle clubhouse, a remnant of the 1940 Works Progress Administration program, was a vibrant center of community life until a kitchen fire badly damaged the structure in June 2023. The municipal golf course has been a home to PGA champions, Black golfing pioneers, and successive generations of young East Bay golfers. Sidell Pakravans new design reflects the aesthetics and materials of the original building, which dates from 1940, while creating a modern, inclusive setting that aims to honor the clubhouses history and resonate with the community. A restaurant with panoramic golf course views supports the Lake Chabot areas revitalization.Elizabeth Snowden is a writer based in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she also runs the Pallas Gallery.