18 July 2013

S L A T . S C R E E N


i'd like to be able to say there is some sort of deep intellectual pursuit behind the slat screen, but its real 
justification was the need to for a screening element to shield a portion of the master bedroom. the need gave us
the opportunity to expand on some of the ideas we had been exploring with the form and and gin up the facade a 
bit. in its design we wanted to maintain the concept of the wrapper and extend the idea of layering to the main, 
yard-facing elevation. the screen maintains the same white-wood-board language that wraps the interior surface of
the form, adding a board-size gradient to maximize light and views in the main spaces. we played with a variety 
of details in the design of the screen - making it de-mountable for future refinishing, keeping the volumetric 
properties of each board equal by extending the gradient to the depth dimension, allowing pieces to slide around
the facade - but in the end we decided to prioritize its highly graphic nature and kept it flat and static. the 
minimalist approach works well with the stripped down graphic form of the overall mass.

the interior white wall, the exterior black (henry's) wall, the large glass sliding doors, and the screen all work 
together to blur the boundary of interior and exterior space, as each sits within its own vertical plane with non-
uniform fenestration. the project's definition of 'inside' or 'outside' can therefore change and shift depending on 
position and circumstance; because we were working with such small spaces, this technique allows for 'rooms' 
to constantly expand or contract based on use with minimal effort.

*the hanging chads of the battens over the windows and the bottom board will get installed once everything is else is complete
















16 July 2013

T R A N S I T I O N . 1


the transition of the old to the new was one of the trickiest aspects of the project to figure out. the structures 
needed to read as independent buildings, as well as be legitimately structurally isolated, but feel connected as 
one house from the interior. the floor transitions from a raised floor system to a structural slab near grade and 
the new roof of the transition space needed to fit below the existing pitch to make it read as a single building. this
meant pinching the connection vertically without sacrificing the open feeling the project strives to promote. tall, 
narrow windows that mimic the windows of the existing house were inserted into the 'glue' space to make it feel 
like less of a hallway and to bring more light into the existing house from the backyard.