PROJECT Rowhouse Reconceived

ARCHITECT Hill & Hurtt Architects

LOCATION  Washington, District of Columbia US

PROJECT COMPLETION DATE  6/4/2018

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN TEAM  Joshua O. Hill, AIA-Principal; Eric B. Hurtt, AIA-Principal
OWNER/CLIENT
CONTRACTOR/CONSTRUCTION MANAGER  Wall to Wall Construction, Inc./Angel J. Tuesta
PHOTOGRAPHER  Joshua O. Hill

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
CIVIL ENGINEER
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER Ehlert/Bryan Inc.
MECHANICAL ENGINEER
ELECTRICAL ENGINEER
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SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT  

The rear of this 1890's Victorian DC rowhouse had fallen into a sad state of disrepair. Over time the porch had been enclosed and was serving as more of a storage/drop zone than living space. The owners passed through this space daily from their alley parking into a dark and dated kitchen. In a rowhouse, space is at a premium, and our main goals were to transform this enclosed porch and kitchen into a light-filled useful living area, provide connection between the house and outdoors, and relate the rear façade to the existing Victorian structure.

The kitchen was reoriented within its existing footprint to a simple galley layout, providing open circulation space to the rear of the house. A large opening was created in the rear masonry wall to provide a better connection to the enclosed porch. Windows were added along the west wall to provide additional light. Finishes were selected to blend with the existing Victorian home and include historically appropriate casing and trim and a heated hex-tile floor along with Ikea cabinets with Semi-Handmade doors, quartz tops, and brass fittings.

A breakfast room/mudroom was created in place of the existing porch, extending the home’s living space. The primarily north facing room incorporates tall windows with panels below and a French door to recreate the feel of a traditional enclosed porch and provide a strong visual connection to the exterior. Existing structural members were replaced to meet current building codes, and the exterior trim elements were completely redesigned and replaced to create a new facade that relates to the original house, while maintaining the existing footprint. All trim elements are painted pvc material, which provides a sustainable and reliable product but with a historic look and feel. The upper windows and door between the office and the roof deck were reconfigured to further relate to and enhance the porch structure below, and also to bring light and connectivity to the interiors.

JURY COMMENTS (If applicable)

[KY=Kim Yao (Chair)  KD=Kimberly Dowdell  TY=Takashi Yanai]

KY: This design is transformative within the constraints of the project. They've created really nice spaces to live in.

KD: This is a very nice project and a great renovation story. I like that in lieu of demolition, the owner and architect opted to work with the existing historic structure, breathing new life into it.

MEDIA FOR DOWNLOAD
Project/Jury PDF

IMAGES (Captions and Photographer Credit)

1. Rear Facade Joshua O. Hill
2. Rear Facade Joshua O. Hill
3. Kitchen Joshua O. Hill

4. Breakfast Room Joshua O. Hill
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