The challenge of this project was to breath new life into an existing 1910 farmhouse style building located in an urban SE Portland neighborhood. A balance between old and new was desired: memory of the original balanced with freshness and vitality of the new. The solution was to maintain the original form, but abstract it into a modern sculpture. Furthering the experience of the building as a singular form, the traditional interior was reimagined as one main room per floor with support spaces surrounding these main rooms, thereby creating a “thickened edge.” New windows were cut into this thickened edge with the glass set to the inside. From the outside, the two-foot deep window sills give a carved out and sculptural appearance. The exterior is painted a monochromatic red further giving the house an abstract quality and elevating economical cladding materials, such as lap siding, to a noble effect. Portland is in the midst of a heated controversy over demolition of existing housing stock for new development. The Red House serves as an example of a third option that satisfies both the need to bring progressive architecture that meets contemporary demands as well as a preservation of historic forms and robust building stock.
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