Bio:
EL Studio, an award-winning architecture firm, specializes in building innovative structures within challenging constraints. EL Studio strives for the creative use of techniques and materials to develop solutions unique to the problems and potential posed in each project. EL Studio is licensed in Virginia, Maryland and Washington D.C.
Project:
The existing residence, a four-square house built in the 1980s, suffered from a superfluity of cells that constrained the otherwise generous footprint. Awkward additions with oddly placed openings did little to improve the space and its illumination. The owners, a couple with three boys, wanted to improve the house to accommodate growing kids, but weren’t certain what they needed. By removing extraneous walls and relocating the functional masses (e.g. closets, bathroom, kitchen) to the periphery, we uncovered a graceful “new” home within the existing building and created an open, flowing space. In the kitchen, existing trusses forced the ceiling down with thick wood tension members. Replacing these with thin steel lifted the ceiling to the roof, and up-lights accentuate the sloping surfaces. New windows and skylights animate the lofty volume over the course of the day. In the nearby bathroom, another skylight illuminates the secluded shower.