PROJECT SYNOPSIS

The Project for Toby Strout renovated an existing second story bath and laundry on a previously added master bedroom at her residence in the Elm Heights Historic District of Bloomington, Indiana. The project added a new dormer with structural supports on the north façade facing East Wylie Street, with the remaining renovation located under roof. The original residence is a novel four-square structure that was built c.1925. The subsequent master bedroom addition, which varies from the original style, was undertaken prior to the implementation of the Elm Heights Historic District Design Guidelines c. 1980.

The new dormer houses a large walk-in shower with wrap-around windows for natural light. It is designed to complement the original four-square structure in its roof form and divided lite window design, thereby reflecting the original four-square structure in proportion and texture while complying with the district’s historic guidelines.

Additionally, 75 square feet of existing interior space was renovated bringing the total project area to 100 sq. ft. The design scheme modifies the existing bath and laundry spaces by providing additional closet and storage space, adding new fixtures, finishes, lighting and appliances. While modest in scope, the project is intended to achieve the functionality of a full-size bathroom suite.

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PROJECT SYNOPSIS

The Cabin Addition for Rich and Teresa is located in the mountain community of Nederland, Colorado (el. 8200 ft.) in the eastern foothills of the Rocky Mountains west of Boulder. The project proposes adding a mudroom, a master bedroom, and an outdoor deck to an existing 650 square foot log cabin. The existing cabin was constructed circa late 19th century, with various infrastructure upgrades and repairs over time.

The 98 sq. ft. Mudroom offers a new workable entry into the cabin by providing a much needed transition between the inside and outside. Further amenities include additional storage and a place for coats and all-weather gear. The new 210 sq. ft. Bedroom reorients the cabin’s principal sleeping space towards adjacent Boulder Creek, and takes advantage of existing views and morning light. Broad overhangs provide summer shade while enabling passive solar heat gain during the winter months. Finally, a new 180 sq. ft. Outdoor Deck extends the current kitchen out towards the creek while providing a calm private space for relaxation and various customary household rituals.

Proportion is a principal concern in the design and scale of the south and east facades. The south façade is proportioned according to the golden section which accommodates both the mudroom and the bedroom additions. The east façade is composed from roof angles and regulating lines which are derived from the existing cabin to assure visual harmony between the old and the new. All new exterior materials are LEED certified green which include corrugated galvalume metal and “Hardie” cement board.

While the Cabin Addition for Rich and Teresa improves the functionality of a small mountain home, it more importantly opens the cabin interior to the adjacent creek and mountain landscape beyond. The design creates a personal sense of place in which added privacy is complemented by environmental awareness—in which one’s place in the world is better understood, and life, in that sense, is that much more appreciated.

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Conceptual Ideas: Fakelmann

Elevation Study: Fakelmann

Section Study: Fakelmann

Parti Study: Fakelmann

Site Study: Wreden

Client Meeting Notes: Wreden

Client Meeting Notes: Wreden

Field Notes: Fakelmann/ Wreden

Diagrammatic Study: Fakelmann

Study For Dancing Plan: Fakelmann

Conceptual Studies: Fakelmann

Study Section: Fakelmann

Black Tape Study

Dimensional Sketches

Wall Studies: Wreden

Entry Study: Wreden

Diagrammatic Study: Wreden

Plan Study – Fakelmann/Wreden

Elevation Study – Fakelmann/Wreden

Vernacular Studies: Fakelmann

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Site Plan And Grading Plan

Floor Plan And Opening Schedules

Elevation From Construction DWG

Section Through Front Facade

Dormer And Roof Framing

Kitchen Oblique And Cabinet Schedule

Deck and Framing Plans

Arbor And Utility Deck

Section and Interior Elevations

Construction Drawings

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Project Synopsis

The KENNEDY HOUSE is the permanent home for a native north Louisiana artist and is situated on sloping pastureland near the township of Calhoun, Louisiana. The 1580 square foot residence locates discrete living and studio spaces under one roof, and offers the artist-resident a landscape characteristic of the rural south. The design interprets local culture in its vernacular references, traditional building strategies, and use of customary materials. In this regard, it emulates a recognizable figure on the regional landscape—while it is pragmatic, it is also poetic.

The split-function nature of the program is modeled in plan after the Louisiana dog-trot house, and in elevation after the traditional double-crib barn. The dog-trot opening is bisected by a linear promenade which separates the living area from the studio, and extends the front porch through the center and out into the landscape. This extension is terminated by a freestanding chimney. While evoking the image of a vernacular ruin, the chimney also defines a place for customary ritual by serving as a barbecue pit and crawfish boiler. The principal structure of the house reflects building strategies characteristic to a warm humid southern climate. It is raised off the ground, incorporates broad overhangs, and is naturally ventilated. Malarial concerns for local precedent and regional availability are addressed with the use of metal siding and roofing, concrete block, and standardized framing lumber.

The design scheme compliments the lifestyle of a north Louisiana artist and patron of the colloquial landscape. It is conceived in section as well as plan, and organized into three levels. The ground level incorporates exterior pathways that extend the composition of the plan into the landscape, situate the structure into the hillside, and refer directionally to natural site features. The program at this level includes spaces for automotive and equipment repair, yard work, storage, and utilities. The symmetrically proportioned first level characterizes the local precedent of the dog-trot plan and addresses programmatic concerns for separate studio and living spaces. North windows orient the spaces away from the highway and towards the natural landscape. The circular kitchen, poised alongside the living space, elicits images of a water tank or silo and alludes to the nature of subsistence. The upper level reconnects the living and studio spaces and provides a secluded respite from daily activities. North skylights offer views of the natural landscape, ventilate the interior, and provide a constant light suitable to the observing eye of a painter. The twofold nature of the KENNEDY HOUSE suggests a lifestyle in which living and art are of equal value—in which a balance between the two is an existential necessity.

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THE BANQUETING HOUSE

Design Citation – THE BOSTON SOCIETY OF ARCHITECTS – Unbuilt Architecture Awards Competition

Click on the following Project Synopsis for a description of the program, project location, and symbolic references used to determine conceptual ideas for the project.

Project Recognition and Awards
Published in “Hybrid Drawings” Van-Nostrand-Rheinhold Inc., NY.
Published in Global Architecture, AGA Edita Inc., Tokyo, Japan.
Published in Revista Arquitectura De La Facultad de la Habitat, San Luis Potosí, MX.
Published in Axonometric Drawing: 3-D Rendering Guide, McGraw-Hill, Inc. NY.
Exhibited in One-Person Retrospective of Architectural Works at Mississippi State University.
Citation: Unbuilt Architecture Awards Competition, Boston, MA.
Presented at the Arts and Sciences Research Symposium, Ruston, LA.
Presented and Exhibited at Invited Lecture, Kansas State University.

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Model View Southeast

Model View East

Structural Axonometric

Conceptual Parti Diagrams

Banquet Level Plan

Ground Level Plan

South Elevation and Entry Section

THE KENNEDY RESIDENCE AND STUDIO

Design Award – BOSTON SOCIETY OF ARCHITECTS – Unbuilt Architecture Awards Competition

Click on the following Project Synopsis for a description of the program, project location.

Project Recognition and Awards
Published in Residential Architect, Washington, D.C.
Presented at the ACSA West Central Conference, St Louis, MO.
Design Award: Unbuilt Architecture Awards Competition, Boston, MA.

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Exploded Axonometric – Ink on Mylar

Site Plan and Environs

Plan of Second Floor

Plan of Ground Floor

Plan of First Floor

Transverse and Longitudinal Sections

Detailed Kitchen Plan

Detailed Kitchen Section

Front Elevation South

THE HIS-AND-HER-HOUSE

Honorable Mention – AIA CINCINNATI – Houses for the Next Millennium Competition

Click on the following Project Synopsis for a description of the program and the project’s conceptual intent.

Project Recognition and Awards
Published in “Hybrid Drawings” Van-Nostrand Rheinhold, Inc. NY.
Published in Global Architecture, AGA Edita Inc., Tokyo, Japan.
Published in “Axonometric Drawing: 3-D Rendering Guide” McGraw-Hill, Inc. NY.
Exhibited in Retrospective Show of Architectural Works at Mississippi State University.
Presented ACSA National Conference, Montreal, Canada, also published in the Conference Proceedings.
Presented and Exhibited at Invited Lecture, Kansas State University.
Published in Competitions Journal, Vol.3 Winter 93.
Honorable Mention, Design Competition: Houses for the Next Millennium, AIA Cincinnati.
Design Exhibit: ACSA West Central Faculty Design Competition.

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Frontal Axonometric Projection

Roof View – Chipboard/Cardboard Model

Roof and Front Façade – Chipboard/Cardboard Model

Promenade Entry – Chipboard/Cardboard Model

Promenade Level and Second Floor

Plan of Ground Floor

Side Axonometric

Site Plan

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Project Synopsis

HIS-AND-HER HOUSE is located on gently sloping land in the open countryside near the town of Calhoun, Louisiana. The 2170 square foot program is intended as a retreat for a couple who value their togetherness as well as their autonomy. It provides not only shared domestic spaces, but also accommodates studio spaces which address the need for creativity and individual work. It is to be used predominantly during the late fall, throughout the winter, and in the spring.

HIS-AND-HER HOUSE depicts a relationship between a man and a woman. It employs a series of spaces which cultivate the togetherness that is achieved through a shared domesticity as well as that of an autonomy realized by a couple’s individual work and expression.

HIS-AND-HER relationship is orchestrated within a bi-lateral architectural scheme which is composed in section as well as plan. It is organized into three floors; the ground level (auto court and utility spaces); the promenade level (domestic space); and the studio level (work space). The symmetrical plan of the ground level signifies both architectural unity and the harmony of an interpersonal relationship. The plan of the promenade level initiates a break in symmetry, thus alluding to the individual natures of two people sharing common ideals. The spaces at this level, however, are still interconnected to allow for the mutual participation in daily rituals. Autonomy becomes evident within the asymmetrical plan of the studio level.

HIS-AND-HER work spaces become discrete architectural entities in both plan and section. In essence, the shift from the symmetrical organization of the ground plan to the asymmetrical disposition of the studio level acknowledges a lifestyle which accepts that some things are inclusive while other matters can remain exclusive.

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Project Synopsis

The Tri-Level Home Renovation and Addition calls for redesigning and adding to a 1960’s split-level tract home. The existing residence is split into two principal areas: a 650 sq. ft. bedroom area consisting of 3 bedrooms and a full bath; and a 675 sq. ft. living area consisting of a kitchen, dining room, living room, and a half bath. The 615 sq. ft. basement includes work and utility rooms, and a single car garage. The total heated area is 1,640 sq.ft.

The preliminary design modifies the bedroom area in order to create a children’s wing consisting of 4 bedrooms, reconfigures the kitchen to include a breakfast area, and modifies the living room to include open circulation around the kitchen. The entry will be redesigned to appear open and inviting and accommodate a terraced sitting area. An addition adjacent to the existing dining room will provide additional entertainment space which will connect to a master suite which includes a master bedroom, small work area, full bathe and walk-in closet.

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