Coach House in Washington by Gardner Architects LLC

Article source: Gardner Architects LLC

Coachhouse comprises a two-story brick building that was originally constructed as a garage between 1907 and 1911. It was historically associated with the adjacent mansion built in 1905, the rear of which is visible in the context photos. Coachhouse is situated on an alley and a major avenue — Florida Avenue — with a courtyard between the building and the street.

Image Courtesy © John Cole Photography

• Architects: Gardner Architects LLC
• Project: Coach House
• Location: Washington, USA
• Photography: John Cole Photography
• Software used: SketchUp, Autocad

Image Courtesy © John Cole Photography

Measuring only approximately 25’ x 22’ in plan, the building is of robust load bearing masonry and wood frame construction. It was converted to residential use and subdivided to be on its own lot prior to designation of the historic district in which it resides in the 1980s.

Measuring only approximately 25’ x 22’ in plan, the building is of robust load bearing masonry and wood frame construction. It was converted to residential use and subdivided to be on its own lot prior to designation of the historic district in which it resides in the 1980s.

Image Courtesy © John Cole Photography

Image Courtesy © John Cole Photography

The building’s context is defined by the alley and rear elevations of large townhouses facing 22nd Street and R Street which range in height between three and five stories. In its existing condition, Coachhouse was dwarfed by its context.

Our client came to us with the goal of making Coachhouse their home. Their program required one more floor. Working through Zoning and the Historic Preservation Review Board, we gained permission to add one floor. Design goals for Coachhouse included the following.

Image Courtesy © John Cole Photography

Image Courtesy © John Cole Photography

1. Follow the principle of the second man, recalling Coachhouse’s allegiance to its neighbor by mirroring the neighbor’s configuration of solid mass and sleeping porch.

2. Enhance the diminutive scale of Coachhouse in the neighborhood and on the avenue, and give it presence where it had little to none before.

3. Create a home whose character marries its several identities — part coachhouse, raw and exposed; part repository for the homeowner’s extensive and eclectic object collections; and part modern sleeping porch.

Image Courtesy © John Cole Photography

Image Courtesy © John Cole Photography

4. Bring light in along the west windowless party wall through the creation of a skylit stair zone.

5. Address the foreground of Coachhouse with a redesigned courtyard, and drive.

6. Embrace a sustainable agenda including the adaptive reuse of the building, onsite stormwater management under the courtyard, an efficient building envelope, all LED lighting, and a green roof.

Image Courtesy © John Cole Photography

Image Courtesy © John Cole Photography

Image Courtesy © John Cole Photography

Image Courtesy © John Cole Photography

Image Courtesy © John Cole Photography

Image Courtesy © John Cole Photography

Image Courtesy © John Cole Photography

Image Courtesy © John Cole Photography

Image Courtesy © John Cole Photography

Image Courtesy © John Cole Photography

Image Courtesy © John Cole Photography

Image Courtesy © John Cole Photography

Image Courtesy © John Cole Photography

Image Courtesy © Gardner Architects LLC

Image Courtesy © Gardner Architects LLC

Image Courtesy © Gardner Architects LLC

Image Courtesy © Gardner Architects LLC

Tags: USA, Washington

Categories: Apartments, Autocad, House, Renovation, Residential, SketchUp

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