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The prow of the Komai residence. Main living area with second-floor bridge above.
Photos © Maxwell MacKenzie Architectural Photographer

Merit Award in Architecture are linked by a bridge crossing over the living/dining room. Three
skylights pour sunlight down into the center of the house.
Komai “The zoning setbacks largely informed the [design’s] volume
Alexandria, VA and massing,” Gurney said. “The house is built to the setbacks on
facing streets, aligning with adjacent houses along the lengths of
Robert M. Gurney, FAIA, both blocks. Even though it’s two stories [tall] and built to the
Architect maximum height limit, the house is consistent with the average
height of the thirteen houses within the block.”
Structural Engineers: D. Anthony Beale LLC The house’s entry area, located at the narrow tip of the triangle,
General Contractor: Commonwealth Building and Design is sheathed in wood slats that reappear at other points along the
exterior, which is otherwise characterized by gray stucco and
The 2,795-square-foot, two-bedroom Komai house, located in the Mondrian-like window arrangements. The interior combines white
Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria, Virginia, was also designed walls, blond wood floors, wood cabinetry, Kalwall translucent
by Robert M. Gurney, FAIA, with Kara R. McHone as the project panels, and dark-painted steel elements to create a crisp but
architect. The triangular residence is fitted snugly onto a previously comfortable inside atmosphere.
vacant triangular site that had been considered unbuildable due to The dark fireplace wall and bridge are major points of focus,
its odd shape and small size combined with the neighborhood’s with the latter providing some definition in the double-height
height limit and setback requirements. The house was built for a space between the living and dining zones. The continuity of
pair of graphic designers who looked past these limitations and materials that runs through the house, combined with the plan’s
saw an opportunity. disciplined geometry inside its triangular shell, produces a residence
The first floor includes the entry, kitchen, a centrally located that is simultaneously orderly and dynamic.
double-height living/dining room, and the master suite. The second
floor houses a guest bedroom suite and an office/workspace that The Komai house was previously covered in the Summer 2014 issue
of ARCHITECTUREDC.

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