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Interior of the Sculpture Studio.

expanded to include the adjacent portion of the house, which had High windows provide tantalizing views in and out, especially as
not been part of previous renovations. the owner’s sculptures increasingly populate a broad interior shelf
From a zoning standpoint, Checa decided to treat the studio at the window sill line. The curve is different than the gable form
as an “accessory building.” The catch was that art studios are not standard to the neighborhood, but it is a friendly departure—the
directly allowed as accessory buildings under the law, but garages difference seems charming, not jarring. The studio and adjacent
are, and a garage could, in turn, legally house a studio. So, gravel driveway, enclosed by a custom metal-and-wood fence of
technically, the studio was permitted as a garage, and it can Checa’s design, were intended to work for occasional displays of
function as such, although it certainly would be an unusually art. This has happened twice so far, once for the artist’s metal
bright and elegant space for automobile storage. (With the works, and once for works by the clients’ son, who attends the
2016 revision to the DC zoning code, the worst of this confusion Savannah College of Art and Design.
has been ironed out, but regulations for accessory buildings are In addition to the roof, the big COR-TEN (self-weathering)
still complicated.) steel doors and side panels, fabricated by Salvaging Creativity of
The precise location and footprint of the studio were not York, Pennsylvania (“check out their incredible website,” Checa
determined by whim, but by careful analysis of zoning limitations, urges), mark this as a special place devoted to metal. Slots are cut
including height, percentage of lot occupancy, distance to the alley, out of the side panels, with LED strip lights at the top—a simple
width of the “court” created between the studio and the existing detail. “In my work, I strive to open each of us to our spirit
house, and so on. In contrast, the architectural form of the curving essence,” said Checa, citing the character of the side panels,
roof came from “artistic inspiration,” said Checa. “When I was which evokes “the candles in a church altar, or stars in the sky.
younger, I was once a dancer, and now as an architect, I feel how Even people who don’t believe in anything can be moved by art
things should move,” she added. The studio wanted movement, and architecture.”
and the curved roof delivers. With its graceful curving roof, warm-toned material palette, and
The curve gives a sense of welcome at its high, front side, but modest scale, the Metal Art Studio fits comfortably in its domestic
slopes back to reduce its visual impact on the neighboring house. environment, while adding a distinct spark to the neighborhood.

48 TRIUMPHAL ARC