Architectural Alchemy: A Family House Rises on Urban Infill - Remodelista
As property values in metropolitan areas continue their prohibitive rise, urban families are always on the hunt for creative... Photography by Rob Fiocca. ...affordable living solutions. The greatest challenge to building a house on urban infill is the potential lack of natural daylight. The courtyard on the ground level separates the house from the office studio, creating a communal space for both structures and functioning as the primary source of natural daylight. The living room, kitchen, and dining area all look onto the courtyard. A view from the house across the courtyard into the couple’s studio workshop. The office has two sources of natural daylight: light from the courtyard and light from a skylight. The couple run their architecture practice from the office, which is top-lit from the secondary courtyard at the rear of the house. Tan, a woodworker as well as architect, built the majority of the finely crafted house, including the stairs with built-in storage. The second-floor courtyard is a favorite play area. Window boxes thrive thanks to light from the secondary courtyard and moist air from the shower. Japanese shoji-style screens allow the light from the courtyard to come through the bathroom and into the hallway. A built-in bed and storage divide the children’s room from the master bedroom. The original contractor warehouse that sat on the site. Studio Junction’s Courtyard House under construction. Studio Junction worked with Juli Daoust and John Baker of Mjölk to design one of our all-time favorite kitchens: See A Scandinavian Kitchen with Hints of Japan and Steal This Look: The Mjölk Kitchen. For another creative, affordable urban living solution–two families sharing one house–take a look at The Architect Is In: Elizabeth Roberts Adds Value in Brooklyn.