The project consists of a modest yet thoughtful addition to an existing bungalow in Ormewood Park, integrating the client’s goals of contextually appropriate design with modern elements and abundant natural light. The project required demolition of a previous failing expansion, which was subsequently replaced with new program including a kitchen, utility area, master bedroom, closet, and master bathroom.
Reacting to the unique geometries of the site, the addition consists of a rotated volume of similar character to the existing archetypal house form, bridged by a glazed room housing the kitchen, distinguished from the adjoining forms in its design and materiality.
The western boundary of this residential lot was established by the historic trolley line that once ran through the neighborhood and eventually to downtown Atlanta. The geometry of the site, particularly the way the setbacks constricted usable area, created a challenge in how to accommodate the client’s programmatic goals while respecting the scale of the existing neighboring structures.
The design responds to the diagonal formed by the old trolley infrastructure on the west side of the property – the mass of the addition steps in and back to create a side yard gathering area with exterior circulation to the lush rear yard. The exterior geometry works in concert with the interior circulation, maintaining an axial path that allows visual connection from the front to the back of the house and yard beyond, creating a sense of light-filled openness.
The physical context of the site played a critical role in strategizing how the program would be arranged. As the site tapered from front to back it created an atypical, somewhat constrained backyard, where private outdoor recreation normally occurs. Under the circumstances we decided to locate the new kitchen in the center of the house and deliberately orient it to open up onto a generous side yard space. We were able to take advantage of the existing elevation change,
fencing, and vegetation along the trolley line in utilizing this inherently private outdoor space. By designing a fully glazed wall with large doors the relatively modest kitchen effectively feels much larger as it opens onto this outdoor ‘room’.The designed location of the kitchen, in turn, pushed the master bedroom suite to the rear of the property where it feels more cloistered and private, while still enjoying views and access to the lush, less-used rear yard.
Team:
Architecture and Interior: Point Office Architecture and Design
Principal: Matt Weaver
Principal in Charge: Clark Tate
Photographer: Fredrik Brauer
