Architect: in situ studio
Project Location: Raleigh, NC
Project Completion Date: 2015
Short Description: Our clients wanted a four-bedroom house with large public spaces that would open onto a constrained suburban site near downtown Raleigh. The existing site was long north to south and sloped down to the street on the north side. A stream bisected the site near the street, and the associated floodplain precluded construction on the front half of the property. A dramatic slope at the rear of the site prevented locating the house far back on the property. Our response to these constraints was a compact, two-story “L” that creates an private outdoor space between the house and the hillside.
Architect’s Statement: The house is on a small lot that is constrained on the front by a floodplain and in the rear by an extreme slope. In response to the slope, we paired an L-shaped retaining wall with a two-story L-shaped house to define a courtyard space between the house and the hill. Because of the tight available construction footprint, not all public spaces our clients wanted were able to fit on the ground level. Therefore, we located an informal den space on the upper level and connected it to public spaces downstairs via a stair that dominates the expression of the front elevation. Upstairs, the master suite is in one leg of the “L,” separated from children’s bedrooms, and opens to the courtyard below via a recessed deck. Despite large openings to the exterior throughout the public spaces and master bedroom, the design provides privacy from the street via orientation, topography, and maintenance of existing landscape buffers.
Type of Construction: The foundation and retaining walls for the house are concrete, with a slab on grade, and the majority of the structure is wood. Steel is used only to achieve a handful of large spans at window openings and cantilevers. The HVAC system relies on ground-coupled heat pumps, with geothermal loops located under the driveway. Windows are a mix of storefront and aluminum-clad wood residential frames, with storefront utilized to achieve odd geometries and larger openings. The main body of the house is stucco, with brake metal and wood accents. Minimal interior trim compliments flush interior doors, tightly coordinated thermofoil cabinets, and “pickled” white oak floors. Exterior areas are concrete and gravel, with targeted landscaping intended to be durable and low-maintenance. Much of the existing vegetation on sight was maintained, especially along the stream edge, which provides a veil of privacy between the house and the road.