Architect: The Raleigh Architecture Co.
Project Location: Raleigh, NC
Project Completion Date: May, 2018
Short Description: In a mixed-use urban neighborhood, program arrangement and massing are employed to provide privacy within the Chappell-Smith Residence. The garage, owner entry, and guest suite are lowered to create separation from the main living spaces and buffer an adjacent commercial parking lot to the south. Upper level bedrooms and a vertical kitchen cabinetry wall split along an entry axis, yielding a double height living volume with backyard views. Skylights enrich the tall space and highlight the wrapping “catwalk” while solid walls screen an adjacent residence to the north. Vertical circulation, expressed in the exterior form, completes the composition.
Architect’s Statement: The owners’ desire for privacy on an exposed urban site became the main generator for the project. The strategic placement of an offset garage, guest suite and owner entry not only buffers the adjacent parking lot, but also creates a quiet threshold from the outside world. The entry axis, extending from front to back, splits the lower level in two, further reinforcing the separation. Shifting the bedrooms over the garage frees up interior volume for generous double height spaces that open to a private backyard. Two-story kitchen cabinets offer additional storage while creating a vertical mass that opens the ceiling with a skylight, providing privacy from neighbors and hiding the stairwell. Circulation moves through the house from light to shadow and light again, terminating in a secluded main suite perched above the screen porch in a tree-house fashion. Seemingly compact in scale from the exterior, the house packs in more than meets the eye—creating a small urban haven, with a trick of the light.
Type of Construction: The Chappell-Smith residence takes advantage of the slab-on-grade garage condition to create a split first floor level, providing a lower threshold into the house. This shift in finish floor elevations allows for a lowered roof framing that achieves the overlapping effect of two interlocking boxes. Engineered wood floors and roof trusses are used to create the long spans required by the large open living areas and cantilevers, reinforced by steel beams. Locally sourced cypress used on the exterior soffit contrasts the cement board paneling of the exterior skin, reflecting the warmth of the wood floors. Cement-board lap-siding and flat vertical panels alternatively clad the building to reflect programmatic arrangements and form. Wood floors and cabinetry alike are made from white oak and are finished with a water-based coating, keeping the interior color scheme warm and consistent. A low-pitch hip roof achieves a flat-roof effect without constringent drainage requirements, while a white reflective TPO roof membrane prevents additional heat gain. Owner-provided solar panels generate electricity for overall household use as well as Tesla car charging.