Page 27 - ArchDC_Winter 2019

Project: AUTO-Haus,
Washington, DC

Architects: KUBE Architecture
Structural Engineers: JZ Structural Consulting
Custom Cabinetry: Eric Lieberknecht Design
Custom Steel: Metal Specialties
Custom Glass: Gaithersburg Glass
Custom Countertop: Lukeworks
General Contractor: ThinkMakeBuild

The house as seen from the alley. The new
second floor is set back from the property line.

Many Washington residents, especially those with access to
multiple transportation options, feel no need to own a car. As
of 2015-16, 37 percent of the city’s households didn’t have one,
putting Washington behind only New York City; Newark, New
Jersey; and Jersey City, New Jersey, on that measure.
Even so, there are still plenty of car-owning households
in the city, including a fair number with multiple vehicles. It
was one such household that selected KUBE Architecture to
renovate and convert an old garage located on Naylor Court—
a historic alley inside the block defined by 9th, 10th, N, and
O streets, NW—into a combined residence and garage for
themselves and their three cars.
“The clients, a young couple, enjoy working on and
displaying their car collection, so this project merges their
favorite hobby with their new living space,” said Janet Bloomberg,
AIA, a principal at KUBE. Their new residence, called AUTO-
Haus, is a rare if not unique building type for the city.
The old garage, built in the 1800s, was a one-story structure.
KUBE’s design added a second floor for additional living
areas and a new basement-level mechanical and storage space,
yielding a three-level structure including a 1,260-square-foot
garage and a 3,080-square-foot, two-bedroom residence. The
new basement extends under part of the garage, and auto
supplies stored there can be moved directly into the garage via
a hatch in the garage floor.
The residence’s open-plan living area on the first floor is a
spectacular, lofted volume that receives ample daylight from
overhead skylights and a second-floor window wall. “The clients
wanted flow and openness on the first floor, and an unimpeded
connection to the loft above,” Bloomberg said. The perforated-
steel staircase that provides the connection “has such presence
in the space, but almost disintegrates as you get near it,” she
said. “I’ve never done a transparent staircase before, so detailing
it was a fun challenge.”
All photos © Anice Hoachlander, except as noted Ample glazing in the wall separating the living area from
the garage allows the cars to be viewed directly from the living
area. “We researched similar projects, mainly in Europe—
renovated garages that were turned into residences—but none
of them had cars in them,” Bloomberg said. “Much later, we
came across one that had a similar program, but had divided
it into two floors, with a garage below and residence above.

PARKING/SPACE 25