A substantial addition to a rear coach house left virtually no outdoor space for this single family home. Several design remedies were utilized to regain outdoor space for the primary residence. In the center of the home, a light court was added that is accessible by the first floor and visually expands the spaces on the upper floors. An extended front yard and porch was designed to create a connection to the neighborhood and to add a landscaped front yard. The roof top is also an indoor/outdoor haven with a roof room that opens to front and rear terraces. These usable outdoor spaces create a light-filled urban retreat with a strong connection to the outdoors. The exterior front façade creates a sculptural composition of forms with the use of a cantilevered bay, an extended porch and varied exterior finish materials including fiber cement panels, natural wood and vinyl siding.

The custom interior design and addition to this penthouse apartment create a distinct vocabulary between the public spaces and the private spaces within. Situated on the 23rd and 24th floors of an historic building in Chicago’s downtown Loop, the first level is existing and has gothic-inspired windows, exaggerated moldings and is used primarily for formal entertaining and living. Finish materials, including black slate, ebony floors and charcoal painted walls, create a formal but muted backdrop to the owner’s modern furniture and architectural rendering collections, as well as the guests he entertains there. The second level addition is reached via a custom two-piece spiral staircase. As the steps progress, the staircase inverts itself, creating a literal transition from the exterior to the interior of the staircase, suggesting the more private nature of the second level. Here, the historic materials of the first floor give way to light-colored materials, including white resin, vinyl weathered teak floors and fiber cement wall panels. Interior sliding glass dividers enable the space to transform from two bedrooms to an open, airy loft. A 12’ x 35’ skylight floods the second story space with light as does the north facing wall of glass that leads to the roof deck and stationary lap pool.

This single family home was the first to participate in Chicago’s Green Permit Program and provided an opportunity for a comprehensive exploration of sustainable design and construction practices. The project incorporates several green technologies, including a ground source heat pump HVAC system, roof top wind turbines, highly insulative walls and windows, and rainwater harvesting for plant irrigation. This experimental design reinforced our belief that “green design” is good design. More obvious items like natural light, energy efficient walls, and non-toxic building materials create buildings that are physically and mentally healthy, especially important in an urban environment. Less obvious items like green-roofs, strategic landscape design and ventilated facades offer additional amenities to urban living in addition to their sustainable benefit.

A single family spec-home on a standard 25’ x 125’ Chicago lot takes advantage of an allowable side yard exception to create a unique entrance to the structure. An elevated catwalk on the building’s side yard leads to a mid-building entry that eliminates the typical front door that often intrudes upon the primary living area. This feature was enhanced with a solid glass wall, wrapping the front of the building and the entry’s length. By opening the interior to the outdoors, the glass wall of the catwalk provides a visual expansion of the interior living space and an opportunity for occupants to observe guests as they arrive.

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