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Architects: Ravel Architecture
- Area: 600 ft²
- Year: 2017
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Photographs:Jake Holt
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Manufacturers: AutoDesk, Design Within Reach, Trimble, West Elm
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Engineering: GreenEarth Engineering Inc., Tim Zhang
Text description provided by the architects. An active family with two kids and a full house needed a versatile solution that could do something for everyone. A playhouse, perfect for sleepovers. A media room for kids by day and parents by night. A luxurious guest suite for extended visits from the grandparents. A quiet space to reflect just far enough away. And storage for the necessities: bicycles, camping, climbing gear, gardening tools, and holiday decorations.
Playing off the traditional forms of the surrounding historic neighborhood, this versatile casita anchors the back yard and buffers the busy alley and adjacent multi-family creating a second private yard in back while barely peeking out over the fence or overshadowing the existing home.
Made of durable and elemental materials, the corten gable shell encloses a concrete cradle. The interior volume is clad in white oak and contains the bathroom, kitchenette, media center, and pocketing privacy partitions.
Insulated concrete walls were used for the sides of the building. The concrete walls are composed of two separate four inch concrete forms with a two inch layer of polyisocyanurate in-between. The effect is an appearance of a ten inch concrete wall but with improved insulation properties.
