Page 49 - ArchDC_Spring 2021

Adding the office/studio wasn’t a simple matter.
“We had to insert the third-floor addition as an
independent structure because our existing framing
was not strong enough to support it, so a steel frame
was inserted into the shell of the existing row house,
running from basement to roof,” Bloomberg explained.
“You can see the exposed steel columns in first floor
stair area and powder room.”
In addition, she added, “we weren’t allowed
to remove the existing wood framing in the house
because of its historic value, so we had to sister-in the
new framing that widened the first floor to the full
width of the site [where the dog-leg space had been]
and allowed us to cantilever the new second floor rear
addition. So new steel structure had to be interlaced
within the existing wood structure—not an easy task!
Running new mechanical ductwork and plumbing to
new bathrooms was very tricky to do within the steel
structure, without creating bulkheads. It took time to
make all of this work.”
The house “is in a historic neighborhood, so we are
proud of being able to complete such a modern project
there,” Bloomberg said. “We had to convince the HPRB
[Historic Preservation Review Board] to allow us to do
the rear cantilever and large amounts of glass. But we
think it is a nice counterpoint to the historic street-front
facade of the house.”
Architects, she added, “have to fight for ideas that
are important to the integrity of the design concept,
and that’s not always easy when you’re dealing with
budgets and technical challenges. The second-floor rear
cantilever was questioned a number of times due to
the difficulty of incorporating it into the existing wood
structure, and HPRB also challenged it. However, we
stuck with it and continued to explain its importance to
the concept and spatial experience of the project—and
I’m so glad we did! I think that, without it, this project
would not have the ultimate impact it has now.”
KUBE’s row house work, she said, is “always
very specific to client, neighborhood, and program.
So while we do a lot of them, we think of each as a
totally new project. I think we’ve gotten better over the
years, from all of our many experiences, so I feel like
our details have gotten more refined. We are better
at incorporating the structural and spatial challenges
of a row house into our concept from the beginning,
which allows us to try new ideas and experiment a bit
more. I also think that, because clients know us for this
work, they trust us more and allow us to introduce new
concepts we’ve never done before.”
Overall, “I love the way the project balances
ultramodern design with warmth and comfort. That’s
not an easy balance to strike, but I feel like we did it with
this project,” Bloomberg said. “And so do the owners.”

Exercise room in basement.

STRIKING THE RIGHT BALANCE 47