HAVEN:
AN INTERVIEW WITH JESS FIELD, FIELD ARCHITECTURE
19 October 2024
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit the Congregation Kol Emeth in Palo Alto with its talented architect Jess Field, and it felt like a gift. I’ve long wanted to meet Jess, well-known for his passionate approach to architecture and his intimate connection to the land, so this was a meaningful and cherished visit. Not only is this project one of his finest and most intricate, it is also a spiritual place – not only a place of worship but the centerpiece of a community. As we walked the site together, I learned not only about the project, but about Jess’s very individual, heartfelt approach to design, the origins of his passions, and his unique ability to listen to what the land and the community have to say. I was deeply moved by the conversation, and am grateful to now count Jess as a friend."
Founded by architect Stan Field, and now led by his son Jess, Field Architecture is focused on fostering a connection between people and the places they love. Infused with optimism, sensitivity and a profound sense of stewardship, their approach to design is thoughtful and deeply intentional. The firm’s primary focus is residential design, through which they develop deep relationships with their clients and lasting connections to each unique site. In Jess’s words, “we go deep.”
Kol Emeth has a sense of poetry of materials and light that is rare in buildings today."
Congregation Kol Emeth is Field Architecture’s first sacred space, bordered by three roads and set within a suburban neighborhood, which dictated a residential height limit. The primary questions for this project were how to invoke the sacred without reaching upward, and how to connect to nature on the small, bounded site.
The answer was to design the garden first, and then design the building as the background for the garden of native plantings. The garden also acts as a bioswale, filtering run-off from the entire site. The project is certified LEED Platinum, with net zero water use and net positive energy use, (meaning it produces more energy than it uses). Granite boulders provide a layer of security while acting as nature’s sculpture. Parking is located underground, saving the maximum amount of exposed soil for the landscape.
Everything in nature can be seen as sacred space, and this garden brings us back to what was once here. The gardens are a gift to the community."
The project’s two buildings, one housing the sanctuary and the other offices and event space, are connected by a central courtyard. In this small project, every element is a marriage of function and art. The structures are faced with a breathtaking sculptural lattice of vertical wood louvers that provide privacy and shield the interiors from the sun.
At Congregation Kol Emeth…
MQ: Congregation Kol Emeth is unique. How was this project different for you?
JF: It gave us the opportunity to approach a community building as a home. It’s not often that we have an audience that is this captive to the sacredness and sensory impact of a space.
We ask the building to be formed by the way it needs to be to provide comfort for those within."
MQ: The lattice is a work of art. Can you tell us about it?
JF: The lattice of vertical louvers shields the interiors from the low sun as it sets to the west. We did a sun study to calibrate the individual angle of the 2,000 slats, and worked with Spearhead to fabricate and install them. We used what might have been construction waste – five native weather-resistant woods formed from off-cut shorts – to produce the functional art piece that defines the building.
MQ: This space does feel truly sacred. I felt emotional walking into the sanctuary.
JF: You paused when you walked into the sanctuary which is a common reaction. Often people pause and feel into the beauty and tranquility of the space. The skylights and clerestory provide the internal light, the massive slabs of travertine are broken by a natural cleft, framing a view of the trees, and the seating ripples out from the center like rings in a pond.
MQ: Can you tell us about the curved lattice on the ceiling?
JF: We decided that if we couldn’t go up in height, then we would go down. The curvilinear draped lattice symbolizes a traditional wedding shawl. The arrangement is unimaginably complex – each baffle is uniquely shaped and positioned. It would have been impossible to construct using traditional means. Working with Spearhead, we developed a way to realize it.
MQ: Your relationship is close.
JF: Our relationship with Spearhead is built on many projects and countless working hours together. It gives us the creative confidence that allows us to make magical things like this possible.
MQ: How did you come up with the idea of a veil?
JF: We wanted to make it feel welcoming and soft, like coming home.
MQ: In our practice, we think of home as a sacred place.
JF: We have the opportunity to create sacred spaces in the home. By whatever name we call it, that feeling comes from nature and architecture can bring us closer to it.
At the office of Field Architecture…
MQ: What is your origin story?
JF: It didn’t start with me. My father was an architect, and I grew up surrounded by his work from day one. In 1968 and 1969, Stan won a scholarship to study with Louis Kahn. It was an amazing time in architecture, and it formed his understanding of architecture in the most powerful way. When he began practicing, his first commission was a house in Johannesburg, on a site with massive boulders. He spent seven nights there, listening to the land, basically figuring out how not to mess it up.
MQ: Listening to the land…
JF: He slept under the boulders. In nature, habitat is not random. If we take the time to tune in and listen to the land, we can gain insights and create dwellings that work in the same way, creating a kind of functional beauty that comes from how a hospitable environment is created in its natural setting. Stan learned on that project that if we spend the time and look deeply, we can take our cues from nature.
MQ: Nature is all around us, the root of everything.
JF: Every place is so unique, the building becomes part of that uniqueness, tied to the place. A good example is our White Sands project set on the beach in Carmel, where the sand is uniquely white. We formed the wall that acts as the spine of the house from the sand. The striations of color reflect the different layers of sand on the beach and dunes, and we named the project to reflect its origins.
Architecture is not defined by the building, but by the building's relationship to the land."
MQ: You grew up with an architect for a father, friend and mentor. What is an early memory?
JF: One of my formative early memories is my father handing me a pencil and saying, “speak.”
MQ: So you learned to think and communicate through sketching.
JF: It’s my way of knowing things. We have to remember that the practice of architecture is a craft. How assemblages come together is critical to the success of the architecture. When you do enough sketches, they populate your mental landscape, and they are an amazing way to bridge the divide between design and building.
MQ: Your childhood sounds magical.
JF: My family is from South Africa, and even after we left we would go back every year. I was raised amid gardens and landscapes that felt endless. I ventured into those magical places spending my childhood exploring nature and the environments we build for ourselves. I learned through sketching. The idea is so simple: we are a part of the natural world. As architects, we’re shaping the nests we create within that natural world.
MQ: Can you talk more about your process?
JF: The building makes way for the land. We like to uncover as much of the natural character of the site as we can. As we do, its dominant features often seem to suggest a design solution. When we see that solution, we call it the “boulder moment.” We work patiently until it is realized on every project.
MQ: How do you know when a design solution is right?
JF: When we look at a project and we cannot imagine it any other way. The architecture creates a sense of interdependence with the land, and the land accepts the building.
MQ: Can you give an example?
JF: Madrone Ridge is set on a ridge, and it’s part of the wild, where the madrone forest merges with the coast live oaks. To create dexterity in how we engaged with the site, we split the building into three pavilions. The rooflines echo the valley, which was formed by water, and by following the path of water you can understand the building. This was the project’s “boulder moment.”
MQ: I love the way your projects are tucked into the land, as if they were meant to be there.
JF: How the building fits into the terrain is fundamental to us. We are aware that what we add to a site will have an impact. We ask ourselves, “How can we incorporate the building systems into the natural systems in a way that promotes homeostasis?” These solutions are some of the most exciting parts of the design process.
MQ: The connection between indoor and outdoor spaces is fundamental.
JF: There is a granularity to the connection, where you can track the time of day, the seasons, or the way the light falls.
MQ: Your work is so serene. Has anything in particular influenced you?
JF: I’ve traveled extensively – with my sketchbooks, always, and these experiences do find a way into the work. I lived in Japan for half a year, and it left a deep impression.
MQ: What is your relationship with your father like?
JF: My dad and I have been talking about architecture for as long as I can remember. When we talk to each other, often these days with sketches, the conversation is complete. It is a very special relationship and one that I aim to cultivate with each of the amazing people on our team.
MQ: It is a different way of knowing.
JF: We have a shared passion for finding the wild spirit that inhabits each place, a reverence for the land and a gratitude for the people who enable us to do what we do.
And now some rapid-fire questions…
What’s the one thing you love most about what you do?
I love the sense of adventure and discovery. Every project is a new place to explore and new people to partner with to bring a vision to life.
Who — or what — inspires you?
I always find inspiration in places and things that make us feel small. Waves, waterfalls, mountains…
What’s the single best business or creative advice you’ve ever received?
Creativity is something that changes and evolves constantly. A drawing teacher of mine once told me, “Never erase a line until you’ve drawn the next one.” It’s a way of using what we’ve done to guide where we can go next.
If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing?
If you’d have asked me when I was in high school, I would have said I wanted to tour with the Rolling Stones but I’ve honestly never thought about another professional venture.
How do you love spending time outside of work?
Surfing, paddling, swimming – anything water.
What is one thing that most people don’t know about you?
I spent 8 months with sketchbook in hand trekking overland from Nairobi to Cape town.
Last book you read?
Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard
Do you have a favorite quote? If so, we’d love to hear it!
“Whether you think you can do it or think you cannot, you’re right.”