Architect: Don Kranbuehl
Project Location: Raleigh, NC
Project Completion Date: March, 2013
Short Description: This adaptive reuse project transforms a typical suburban colonial house into a dwelling that is open,
Architect’s Statement: Re-envision This adaptive reuse project provided an opportunity to address the challenge of the growing number of aging, non-sustainable, developer built housing. The goal was to transform a closed-in inward-looking colonial box and repurpose the structure into an open transparent volume used instead for living with nature. Faced with an economic choice to build new on a lot far away from downtown or renovate an aging colonial home closer to town, the owners decided to re-envision a typical colonial box and transform it into a sustainable modern house with views to the outside. The owners’ love of gardening and natural light was an inspiration for the project and generated the opportunity to create a transparent structure and completely redesign the garden and landscape. Subtract-Extend-Reconnect The existing house had previously been both compartmentalized and separated from the garden by a one car garage. This garage was “subtracted” or demolished to create opportunities for greater transparency and reconnect the house with the garden. The subtraction allowed for new views from the kitchen and expansive views to the north and south. A new steel stair and bridge is extended from the existing second floor hallway which connects to a new master bedroom. The new master bedroom is a volume “extended” into the garden and away from the existing colonial box separated from the old by a new glass storefront wall and bris soleil. A new fiber cement “wrapper” completely wraps the new and the old. The addition is supported on an exposed douglas fir heavy timber wood structure. Two volumes, an existing play room addition and a new storage/work room, that were outside or under this fiber cement wrap were clad in local atlantic white cedar. Reforming the landscape The backyard was transformed from a completely forested area to a new grass terrace that is an extension of the new open living and dining room space. A new landscape masonry wall was extended far from the foundation wall into the forest to create a new terraced boundary between the man-made garden and natural forest. The garden design was influenced by being faced with streets on two sides of the house and the close proximity of neighbors on the other two sides of the house. The garden hedges and trees were used as volumetric screens to create privacy and shape a garden space to be viewed from the new living space.
Type of Construction: The new master bedroom is separated from the old by a new lowE thermally broken glass storefront wall. The new fiber cement “wrapper” which completely wraps the new and the old is stretched at the joint between the old and new forming a wood bris soleil which is used to filter the southern sunlight and provide privacy to the north. The addition is supported on an exposed douglas fir heavy timber wood structure. The two unique volumes were clad in local atlantic white cedar and the structure is supported on masonry and cmu foundation wall with raked horizontal joints.