They relate the houses to each other while distinguishing each owner's preferences. Finally, the jury commended the architects for understanding how a small addition can have profound results. The jury also admired the architect's choice of materials, which bring a sense of permanence to the new addition. The challenge was to provide generous space for a young couple, five children, and an au pair, while remaining sympathetic in scale to the neighboring homes. The residence employs a T-shaped plan to organize interior and exterior spaces.
Circulation is managed by a central stair hall with both formal and private stairways.
Porches link the house to the neighborhood and provide direct access to its park-like setting. Contrasting materials on the home's exterior help disguise its mass. The small house was gutted, stripped to the brick and painted white. In this bare, open state it becomes a sort of interior courtyard, connecting the adjacent rowhouse to the outdoors. A stepped wooden platform is suspended here, doubling as a seating area above and the frame for a new master bedroom below.