Located in a neighborhood characterized by traditional bungalow style single-family residences, Orange Grove is a new landmark for the City of West Hollywood. The building is sensitively designed and compatible with the neighborhood, but differs in material palette and scale from its neighbors. Referencing architectural conventions of modernism rather than the pitched roof forms of traditional domesticity, the project presents a characteristic that is consistent with the eclectic and often unconventional demographic of West Hollywood. Distinct from neighboring structures, the building creates a strong relationship to the street by virtue of its large amount of highly usable balcony area in the front façade. While there are dramatic and larger scale elements that define the building, it is also broken down into comprehensible human scale parts, and is itself broken down into two different buildings. Orange Grove displays a similar kind of iconoclasm as the Schindler House, an icon of California modernism, located a short distance away. Like the Schindler House, the conventional architectural elements of windows and porches become part of an abstract sculptural ensemble. At the Schindler House, windows are found in the gaps between structural concrete wall panels. At Orange Grove, windows are inserted in gaps between different sections of the building. The design of Orange Grove is generated by a subtle balance of tensions. Building volumes and the placement of windows, doors and balconies are not static but rather constitute an active three-dimensional composition in motion. Each piece of the building is a strong and clearly defined shape, such as the corrugated metal surround that encloses the second story balcony in the east and north facades. Another example of this clear delineation is the use of two square profile balcony surrounds in the front façade that set up a dialogue between them—one is small, the other large, one is open at the front, the other is veiled with stainless steel slats. At the same time each balcony is balanced and related to other elements in the building, the smaller one to the driveway gate below and the other to the roll-up door and first floor balcony. Each building element is intended to read as an abstract form in itself—such as a window becoming a slit or windows becoming a framed box, while also becoming part of a larger whole. Although this building may not mirror the status quo it answers to the desires of consumers in a burgeoning niche market who want large, simple interior volumes of space, and a paradigm based on space, light and industrial materials of the loft rather than the bungalow.

This renovated brick rowhome in Boston’s South End offers a modern aesthetic within a historic structure, creative use of space, exceptional thermal comfort, a reduced carbon footprint, and a passive stream of income. DESIGN PRIORITIES. The goals for the project were clear - design the primary unit to accommodate the family’s modern lifestyle, rework the layout to create a desirable rental unit, improve thermal comfort and introduce a modern aesthetic. We designed the street-level entry as a shared entrance for both the primary and rental unit. The family uses it as their everyday entrance - we planned for bike storage and an open mudroom with bench and shoe storage to facilitate the change from shoes to slippers or bare feet as they enter their home. On the main level, we expanded the kitchen into the dining room to create an eat-in space with generous counter space and storage, as well as a comfortable connection to the living space. The second floor serves as master suite for the couple - a bedroom with a walk-in-closet and ensuite bathroom, and an adjacent study, with refinished original pumpkin pine floors. The upper floor, aside from a guest bedroom, is the child's domain with interconnected spaces for sleeping, work and play. In the play space, which can be separated from the work space with new translucent sliding doors, we incorporated recreational features inspired by adventurous and competitive television shows, at their son’s request. MODERN MEETS TRADITIONAL. We left the historic front facade of the building largely unchanged - the security bars were removed from the windows and the single pane windows were replaced with higher performing historic replicas. We designed the interior and rear facade with a vision of warm modernism, weaving in the notable period features. Each element was either restored or reinterpreted to blend with the modern aesthetic. The detailed ceiling in the living space, for example, has a new matte monochromatic finish, and the wood stairs are covered in a dark grey floor paint, whereas the mahogany doors were simply refinished. New wide plank wood flooring with a neutral finish, floor-to-ceiling casework, and bold splashes of color in wall paint and tile, and oversized high-performance windows (on the rear facade) round out the modern aesthetic. RENTAL INCOME. The existing rowhome was zoned for a 2-family dwelling but included an undesirable, single-floor studio apartment at the garden level with low ceiling heights and questionable emergency egress. In order to increase the quality and quantity of space in the rental unit, we reimagined it as a two-floor, 1 or 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with a modern aesthetic, increased ceiling height on the lowest level and provided an in-unit washer/dryer. The apartment was listed with Jackie O'Connor Real Estate and rented immediately, providing the owners with a source of passive income. ENCLOSURE WITH BENEFITS. The homeowners sought a minimal carbon footprint, enabled by their urban location and lifestyle decisions, paired with the benefits of a high-performance home. The extent of the renovation allowed us to implement a deep energy retrofit (DER) to address air tightness, insulation, and high-performance windows. The historic front facade is insulated from the interior, while the rear facade is insulated on the exterior. Together with these building enclosure improvements, we designed an HVAC system comprised of continuous fresh air ventilation, and an efficient, all-electric heating and cooling system to decouple the house from natural gas. This strategy provides optimal thermal comfort and indoor air quality, improved acoustic isolation from street noise and neighbors, as well as a further reduced carbon footprint. We also took measures to prepare the roof for future solar panels, for when the South End neighborhood’s aging electrical infrastructure is upgraded to allow them. URBAN LIVING. The desirable neighborhood location allows the both the homeowners and tenant to walk, bike, and use public transportation to access the city, while each charging their respective plug-in electric cars behind the building to travel greater distances. OVERALL. The understated rowhouse is now ready for another century of urban living, offering the owners comfort and convenience as they live life as an expression of their values. Eric Roth Photo

The 205 Portland townhome shown on the left was the 2019 Greater Houston Builders Association (GHBA) award winner for custom townhome design and was built by Manzel Contemporary Homes.

Exterior of unit 3 & 4 of the 8 unit townhouse complex.
他の地域にあるラグジュアリーなモダンスタイルのおしゃれな家の外観 (漆喰サイディング、タウンハウス) の写真

Cal Cade Construction
サンフランシスコにあるラグジュアリーな中くらいなモダンスタイルのおしゃれな家の外観 (漆喰サイディング、タウンハウス、緑化屋根) の写真

The bifold doors on the rear elevation blend the garden living space seamlessly with the open plan kitchen and family room.
ロンドンにあるお手頃価格の中くらいなモダンスタイルのおしゃれな家の外観 (漆喰サイディング、タウンハウス、混合材屋根) の写真

サンフランシスコにあるモダンスタイルのおしゃれな家の外観 (漆喰サイディング、タウンハウス) の写真

5 unit small lot subdivision
ロサンゼルスにある高級な中くらいなモダンスタイルのおしゃれな家の外観 (漆喰サイディング、タウンハウス、混合材屋根) の写真

For this siding renovation, the new exterior features of the townhouse are made of deep earthy accent stucco that highlights the brown wood used as a siding panel extending to the back of the house. The house was also designed with a torch-down type of roof complementary to the stucco-Brownwood siding panel.

Facciata ville
ナポリにあるラグジュアリーな中くらいなモダンスタイルのおしゃれな家の外観 (漆喰サイディング、マルチカラーの外壁、タウンハウス) の写真

photo by Mark Singer Photography
ロサンゼルスにある高級な中くらいなモダンスタイルのおしゃれな家の外観 (漆喰サイディング、タウンハウス) の写真

8 Brand new 3 story townhomes with private patios, permeable pavers, low maintenance landscaping, solar panels, and a common area.
サンディエゴにある高級な巨大なモダンスタイルのおしゃれな家の外観 (漆喰サイディング、マルチカラーの外壁、タウンハウス、下見板張り) の写真

photo by Mark Singer Photography
ロサンゼルスにある高級な中くらいなモダンスタイルのおしゃれな家の外観 (漆喰サイディング、タウンハウス) の写真

Design and Construction of Modern Exterior Facade.
ニューヨークにあるモダンスタイルのおしゃれな家の外観 (漆喰サイディング、タウンハウス) の写真

他の地域にある高級なモダンスタイルのおしゃれな家の外観 (漆喰サイディング、タウンハウス、混合材屋根、縦張り) の写真

Facciata ville
ナポリにあるラグジュアリーな中くらいなモダンスタイルのおしゃれな家の外観 (漆喰サイディング、マルチカラーの外壁、タウンハウス) の写真

ロンドンにある高級な中くらいなモダンスタイルのおしゃれな家の外観 (漆喰サイディング、タウンハウス) の写真

In progress photo - Courtyard of each unit.
他の地域にあるラグジュアリーなモダンスタイルのおしゃれな家の外観 (漆喰サイディング、タウンハウス) の写真

5 unit small lot subdivision
ロサンゼルスにある高級な中くらいなモダンスタイルのおしゃれな家の外観 (漆喰サイディング、タウンハウス、混合材屋根) の写真