PROJECT Brookeville Cottage ADU

LOCATION  Brookeville, Maryland US

PROJECT COMPLETION DATE  4/1/2020

ARCHITECT  Miche Booz Architect

ASSOCIATED ARCHITECT/DESIGNER  N/A

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN TEAM  Miche Booz

OWNER/CLIENT Miche Booz & Diane Teague

CONTRACTOR/CONSTRUCTION MANAGER  Stenfors Construction LLC

PHOTOGRAPHER  Catherine Simmons

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SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT  

Historical and Regional context: This project is in the Historic District of the Town of Brookeville in Maryland. The town is on the National Register of Historic Places and a designated historic district in Montgomery County. Brookeville gained historic significance in 1814 when British soldiers invaded Washington DC and President Madison and his entourage took shelter there along with many other refugees from the capital.
Modern context: There are about 55 homes in the Town of Brookeville. Brookeville gained its own zoning authority in 1999 and enacted a progressive housing policy, which allows accessory dwelling units (ADU). Approximately 20% of the houses in Brookeville have some form of ADU, attached or detached, creating a small stock of much needed affordable housing.
Site, Program and Solution: The project, located behind the main house, was originally a cinder block garage from the 1940’s with an earth floor, metal roof and sliding doors. The site is a 10,000 sq. ft. corner lot. It was remodeled first in 1999 for use as an architecture studio followed years later by a bath addition and porch. In 2020 it was remodeled for reuse as an ADU. The new program seeks to create a modern compact cottage that takes advantage of the light and view, provides privacy in a dense setting, and meets local historic requirements. The kitchen and living room are the primary spaces, open to each other but on two levels allowing for a taller kitchen space under the loft. The kitchen opens onto a generous partially-roofed deck with French doors and tall south facing windows. This affords a view of the verdant backyard and woods beyond but not of the closest houses. The living room has smaller windows for privacy and energy efficiency, but light steel structural cables create an open airy space that takes full advantage of the natural light coming from the kitchen and loft. Built-in open library shelving in the loft creates storage space and privacy. The full bath and laundry are on the kitchen level on the north side facing the main house. A ship’s ladder on wheels fabricated from industrial steel rolls on an exposed steel beam to provide access to the loft area. Some interior elements such as concrete parging, 2x8 ceiling joists, steel ladder, stainless steel tie cables, and bamboo are left raw, visible or with a natural clear finish to reveal the material employed. This cottage was conceived as a small unadorned jewel box, juxtaposing colorful materials and tall and open main spaces with an abundance of natural light. This modern aesthetic extends to the exterior but with a subdued palette, compatible with the context of the vernacular and Federal era architecture of the Town.
 

JURY COMMENTS (If Applicable)

MEDIA FOR DOWNLOAD
Project/Jury PDF

IMAGES (Captions and Photographer Credit)

1. Exterior view from the Main House. ©2020 Catherine Simmons
2. Exterior view from the Main House. ©2020 Catherine Simmons
3. Interior showing front entry and layered space from living room. ©2020 Catherine Simmons

4. Exterior view though porch at dusk. ©2020 Catherine Simmons
5. View of living space from loft. ©2020 Catherine Simmons
6. View of loft from living room. ©2020 Catherine Simmons
7. View through dining room to living room. ©2020 Catherine Simmons
8. Stair ladder. ©2020 Catherine Simmons