This project involved the remodel of, and addition to, an existing single-family house with a historic façade. Over the years the building was remodeled numerous times and nothing remained of its original state, other than the front façade and the two rooms that sat directly behind it. 

 

The owners’ desire was to clean up the maze of rooms and circuitous circulation systems that had accrued over time and create large living spaces for entertaining which would take advantage of the backyard, southern light, and the views beyond. 

 

The centerpiece of the design is a new staircase connecting all three levels of the house. An operable skylight for natural ventilatio, sits over the staircase, which is constructed of steel and translucent resin. The stairwell acts as a lightbox, filtering natural light down to the lowest level and deep into each room. In the evening the stair is lit from below and the lightbox acts in reverse to illuminate the rooms it serves.

 

Structural Engineer: Yu Strandberg Engineering

Photography: Sharon Risedorph