We maintained certain portions of the original Victorian layout, including the compartmentalized front rooms and the wide hallway that contains the stairs and bathrooms and leads to the kitchen. As one moves to the rear of the house, traces of the original Victorian house dissolve. We designed the new structure at the rear of the house to be a series of interconnected, multi-functional open spaces for dining, cooking and common living. On the third floor, we added bedrooms/bathrooms, a large stair shaft, and a roof opening to allow light to reach the middle section of the house.
To create transparency at the rear of the house, we used a three-story, steel moment frame. This allowed us to use glass as a membrane, blurring the distinction between the inner volumes of the house and the outdoor deck spaces. The moment frame also gave us greater freedom to manipulate the various volumes of the house. At each level, these volumes straddle the steel moment frame, and through their positioning, they provide shade and privacy to other indoor and outdoor spaces. Finally, we inserted a large patio on the ground level that connects with the garden area.