Sitting on the Pacific’s shorelines, Capitola is a popular tourist beachfront destination. It’s also a great spot for homes that are designed to take in the panoramic views of the sea, and many of the homes here are also sustainable and eco-friendly.
On this list are the best residential architects in Capitola, professionals highly capable of providing beautiful—and green—homes. Many of these firms have been featured in publications like Architectural Record, Dwell, and Home & Garden Magazine. And many are members of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the NCARB, and are LEED accredited professionals. With years of experience and these affiliations, these professionals are capable of creating homes in various styles that include modern, mid-century modern, Mediterranean, and even gothic revival.
Anderson McKelvey Architects
536 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz, CA 95062
Anderson McKelvey Architects is a firm that highlights its team’s flexibility. Ever since its establishment in 2005, the firm’s past projects have ranged from simple room additions to large-scale homes that exhibit various styles including modern, Victorian, Mediterranean, and Craftsman. The La Selva beach residence is a good example; it was designed to give a bold but balanced tribute to modernism. The firm installed flush baseboards, concealed motorized window shades, frameless glass railings, and European-made cabinets. Alongside this modernistic style, the home displays contemporary hints through a simple and unrestrained floor plan and expansive glass windows that frame panoramic coastline views. Aside from homes like this, Anderson McKelvey Architects also has experience completing commercial projects in the Northern California area including Monterey Bay, the San Francisco Peninsula, and Marin county.
Currently, the firm is managed by John McKelvey, who, in his early work, focused on housing rehabilitation and historic preservation.
Derek Van Alstine Residential Design Inc.
1535 Seabright Ave., Suite #200, Santa Cruz, CA 95062
Derek Van Alstine Residential Design is a veteran firm with a presence as strong as its 30 years of experience. Over the years, the firm’s expertise has included award-winning urban in-fills projects, nationally published cottages, and classically designed Mediterranean homes. The firm specializes in constructing homes using EPS foam block techniques.
Peter Spellman Architecture
102 Green St., Santa Cruz, CA 95060
When it comes to applying sustainable design principles and strategies, Peter Spellman Architecture is one of the industry experts with 16 years worth of experience to support its projects. Currently, the firm’s green services include cost-effective solutions, the latest green products and technologies, energy modeling, zero-net energy design, and LEED certification coordination. The Woodrow 2 house in particular demonstrates the firm’s capabilities. This solar-powered home features a clean modern look and an open floor plan. The spacious interiors include a collection of large windows that bring in while framing clear views of nature.
Matson Britton Architects
728 North Branciforte Drive, Santa Cruz, CA 95062
Matson Britton Architects is not a firm to be restrained by one architecture style. This 32-year-old firm focuses on crafting projects that ultimately suit the client by considering every project’s unique variables: the site, the topography, and even the orientation of the sun. The firm’s approach to design has been applied to homes in the coastal, traditional, and Scandinavian styles. The Green Smart Homes Project Three, in particular, is a great example of the firm’s capabilities. This home incorporates a number of smart, green details: passive solar climate control, FSC certified materials, sustainable cherry flooring, and a nine-kilowatt photovoltaic system. The landscape, meanwhile, includes Xeriscape plantings noted for their low water and drought tolerance. Projects like these can be seen throughout the Bay Area, from San Francisco to Carmel. This firm has also worked on Hawaii’s island of Kauai.
Stephanie Barnes-Castro
424 Laurent St., Santa Cruz CA 95060
Stephanie Barnes-Castro is an architectural firm highly dedicated to sustainable design. Whether it’s a traditional, Italian Villa, Gothic revival, or a Mediterranean-style home, the firm incorporates the promotion of energy and the preservation of natural resources into every residential project. This dedication to sustainability comes out of principal architect Stephanie Barnes-Castro’s childhood interest in nature. That early curiosity later bloomed into an interest in ecology that brought her to the University of California Santa Cruz and resulted in a degree in Environmental studies. By 1985, Castro had already started her firm. With her team of talented professionals, she was able to design her first home which has been featured in several passive home tours.
The firm’s Stonehenge logo tells you a lot. Like that iconic monument, Stephanie Barnes-Castro is a firm striving to design strong homes that reflect beauty, longevity, and a deep connection with nature.
Michael Helm & Associates
200 Seventh Ave. Suite #110, Santa Cruz, CA 95062
Michael Helm & Associates is a full service architectural design and consulting firm based in Santa Cruz, California. Our extensive experience in all types of residential and commercial construction also extends to interior design, lighting design and project management. Michael has more than 39 years experience and more than 350 projects to his credit. He has extensive experience with demanding projects, enjoys a high level of success and comfort working with clients, design and construction teams. He is a professional member of the American Institute of Architects, the Architects Association of Santa Cruz County, NCARB, and a registered Architect in California, Nevada and Hawaii.
William Fisher Architecture, Inc.
603 Front St., Santa Cruz, CA 95060
A firm that has been featured in Readers and Santa Cruz Sentinel, William Fisher Architecture, Inc. is a veteran firm with 54 years of experience in the industry. During this time, it has built up a reputation for being an expert in crafting mid-century modern architecture but after years of practice, the firm’s portfolio also showcases residences in the rustic and contemporary styles. Alongside modern beauty, the firm also incorporates green design into its projects and has been doing so for over four decades. Most of these buildings employ passive solar design and different types of active systems and showcase the firm’s proficiency in the use of solar design, recycled materials, and other well-known green strategies alongside the firm’s own developed techniques. This client-centric firm can also adjust its design according to the client’s possible allergies and chemical sensitivities by using non-toxic materials.
Fuse Architects, Inc.
411 Capitola Ave., Capitola, CA 95010
In commercial and residential architecture, Fuse Architects, Inc. is able to implement progressive, modern architecture that connects with the homeowner, the community, and the environment. The firm’s team consists of highly skilled architects and construction professionals capable of creating homes in the modern contemporary, Scandanavian, and European Tuscany styles. Combining their expertise, the firm has completed a diverse range of projects that extend from private homes, custom furniture, product design, and even commercial work. The Teresita Residence in particular is a great example of the firm’s 19 years’ worth of experience. A 3,988-square-foot home in Los Gatos, the Teresita Residence is a modern luxury home sitting on the north slope of the Santa Cruz mountains.
Aside from having floor-to-ceiling windows with panoramic views of Silicon Valley, the residence’s north side has expanses of glass that, when tucked into their wall pockets, open into a limestone deck, an infinity pool, and increasingly spectacular views. When guests come in through the south side, they are also met with a grand 10’wide, 10’ tall pivot door made entirely of walnut. The Teresita Residence has been featured in Gentry Home Magazine. The firm has several other projects that have gained features in Architectural Record, Dwell, and The Santa Cruz Sentinel.
