Page 78 - ArchDC_Fall 2020

New master bedroom pavilion, with the new entry
at right center and the existing house at right.

Photo © Anice Hoachlander/Hoachlander Davis Photography
Washingtonian Residential Design Award a guest room. Both pavilions are linked to the main structure by
glass-enclosed corridors, which facilitated a degree of freedom
Mid-Century Modern in the design of each component of the complex.

Chevy Chase, MD For example, while the roof of the original house is a simple,
low gable, the master bedroom pavilion has an asymmetrical
Studio Twenty Seven Architecture inverted gable, or “butterfly” roofline, and the living/guest
General Contractor: Washington Landmark Construction pavilion has a single-slope angled roof. In plan, each of the new
pavilions is rotated slightly from the grid of the main house
and the master pavilion is sited slightly uphill—moves that
The clients for this renovation and addition were attracted by facilitated optimal views from all rooms. This arrangement also
the existing house’s mid-20th-century modern design, as well preserves view sheds from the existing house, while creating a
as its setting on a densely wooded hill just four miles from the series of “outdoor rooms” between the three structures that give
DC line. With two children approaching their teenage years, the sense that each is truly surrounded by nature.
however, the couple wanted more space. Embarking on an Both the existing and new parts of the house were covered
expansion, they were committed to sustainable design and the in shou sugi ban, the Japanese-inspired charred-wood siding
preservation of views wherever possible. that protects the material from weathering. The edges of the
Toward that end, rather than adding directly onto the roofs are painted white, which serves to emphasize their jaunty
existing house, Studio Twenty Seven Architecture decided to geometries. From inside the house, thanks to its expansive
create two new, semi-separate pavilions that effectively double windows, the enveloping forest appears as a living wallpaper, its
the square footage of the original house while leaving it almost ever-changing colors and patterns of light creating a continuous
entirely intact. One pavilion contains the principal bedroom and redecoration throughout the day and year.
home office, the other an additional living space that doubles as

76 INNOVATION THROUGH RENOVATION