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Swell House
Swell House
Other Projects by Z-A Studio
Swell House
Firm
Type
“A
nation deep in denial loves the imitation, pastiche and sameness
of look-alike architecture. Additions made with the brain engaged,
however, build on the truth that
what matters is not looks but meaning. What matters is what the
new and the old in their differing expressions say together about
the evolving subject matter, the way the new and
the old are brought to collaborate across their difference to
make vivid what needs to be realized today.”
Paul Spencer Byard / Harvard Design Magazine, Issue 23
Adding to
a suburban house does not entail a fancy program and there is
no picturesque setting or urban density to be reckoned with. Rather
the mundane nature of this project
lends itself to a focus on the act of addition the question of
old versus the new and the meaning of preservation versus evolution.
We began with the notion that evolution and growth is at the core
of any architectural endeavor and that every project is an addition
or an extension of its context. This notion
generates an understanding of being contextual as being prone
to mutation and growth.
In the same way we view a project as an extension of its surrounding,
we view the act of designing as an extension of an already accumulated
professional knowledge and not as a
tabula rasa operation. As such, we look at our projects and our
operations in the context of similar precedents and typologies.
However when we look at architectural typologies we
don’t look for the rigid set of fixed rules, rather we
examine the moments where these fixed rules can break or mutate.
It is precisely these moments that we can use to our advantage
when we engage new environments, programs and constraints. In
this case we looked at the typology of suburban housing and the
typology of addition.
The typology of addition is in itself the typology of mutation.
When looking at different precedents at the building scale it’s
easy to find the modernist approach that contrasts the old and
the new, the neo historicist approach that borrows from the old
to cover the new, the archeological approach of the old being covered
by the new and the preservationist approach of the new occupying
the old. However only when looking at the urban scale did we find
the typology of addition where the new and the old simultaneously
impact one another. The new carves into the body of the old, redirecting
flows and at the same time being redirected by the flows and matter
of the old. When looking at the evolution of urban
typologies through time, it becomes clear that this is not a morphological
and definitely not a stylistic categorization of type; rather
it is a performative one. It is a typology that can
only be defined by relations of weak and strong structures, both
physical (voids, highways) and non physical (social, economical).
In the typology of the suburban house there are two primary structural
systems, the vertical structure (stemming from the foundations
and holding the walls) and the triangulated
structure (holding the pitched roof). This structural logic of
stacking the two disjointed systems one on top of the other can
be found in different environments and dressed in different
styles, but remains the essence of the American suburban house
typology. When looking for the weak points of this typology, the
points where mutation might happen we were
intrigued with the fact that these are indeed two disjointed structural
systems, each performing its own task.
Following
these findings we located the extended volume so that it is hovering
above the existing vertical structure leaving the footprint and
foundation intact. The pitched roof structure
is absorbing the mutation caused by the extension. The joint between
the old and the new is not only indicated on the exterior volumes
but is also registered in the interior of the
house where a double height space is created and the stairs are
located. Despite the double curvature of the volumes they are
made of simplified surfaces that are supported by a
structure of straight lines.
With the concept of mutated context in mind we explored the properties
of the most mundane suburban cladding material – the clapboard.
Despite its seemingly rigid appearance we found different ways
to use it and interpret it in relation to different functions.
On the extended elevated volume the clapboard is placed longitudinally
so that it can accommodate the slight curved distortion of the
volume. The west elevation is opaque following the corridor that
leads to the bedrooms. In the east elevation four planks are removed
where the bedroom windows are. In the portion of the east elevation
that is above the existing structure the planks are set vertically,
extending the orientation of the roof planks acting as brisoleil
that filter the light into the family room which already has a
big window facing north and does not require more direct sunlight.
The roof is sloped west towards the yard so that it can be seen from the
yard and to avoid draining where the east bedroom windows are.
It then changes direction and slopes towards the east where it
connects to the vertical planks both visually and for drainage.
On the morphed roof structure (above the existing house) the planks
are perpendicular to the ridge so that they can be made of flat
pieces. Where possible they are extended vertically and draped
over the existing vertical structure, creating a double skin buffer
for natural air circulation. The existing vertical structure and
foundations remain. Where they continue out of the double skinned
area they are clad with the original horizontal clapboard. On
the north façade the entrance door is cut out of the planks
and on the south façade the planks are twisted horizontally
to create louvers that swing open where the kitchen connects to
the yard (under the cantilevered volume).
Since we wanted to maintain a relatively compact volume the private
programs were placed in the elevated volume and the public programs
were placed in the existing structure which became a big room where
different functions can shift and grow as needed. The program that
connects the two, the family room, is placed in the elevated structure
but because of its semi-public nature it is open to below and allows
for the double height space to flow smoothly. The programmatic use
and treatment of the outdoor spaces are conceived as part of the
addition process where new landscaped spaces are carved into the
existing grass surface.
Sustainability
was addressed on a few levels. As the biggest contributor to waist,
construction demolition was kept to a minimum. The foundation
and exterior walls remain and the roof structure is being recycled.
A compact structure totaling 1,900sq.ft. is aimed at saving both
on construction materials and costs and on heating and cooling
in the long run. The space between the double skin walls, around
the open space on the ground floor, can be opened up in summer
and allow air to cool the walls as it flows through and out a
dedicated opening in the pitched roof. In winter the space is
closed and acts as additional insulation. The footprint of the
building on the ground remains a mere 900sq.ft. and as a result
there is no decline in the soaking capacity of the ground which
is crucial for the low lands of New Jersey.
nation deep in denial loves the imitation, pastiche and sameness
of look-alike architecture. Additions made with the brain engaged,
however, build on the truth that
what matters is not looks but meaning. What matters is what the
new and the old in their differing expressions say together about
the evolving subject matter, the way the new and
the old are brought to collaborate across their difference to
make vivid what needs to be realized today.”
Paul Spencer Byard / Harvard Design Magazine, Issue 23
Adding to
a suburban house does not entail a fancy program and there is
no picturesque setting or urban density to be reckoned with. Rather
the mundane nature of this project
lends itself to a focus on the act of addition the question of
old versus the new and the meaning of preservation versus evolution.
We began with the notion that evolution and growth is at the core
of any architectural endeavor and that every project is an addition
or an extension of its context. This notion
generates an understanding of being contextual as being prone
to mutation and growth.
In the same way we view a project as an extension of its surrounding,
we view the act of designing as an extension of an already accumulated
professional knowledge and not as a
tabula rasa operation. As such, we look at our projects and our
operations in the context of similar precedents and typologies.
However when we look at architectural typologies we
don’t look for the rigid set of fixed rules, rather we
examine the moments where these fixed rules can break or mutate.
It is precisely these moments that we can use to our advantage
when we engage new environments, programs and constraints. In
this case we looked at the typology of suburban housing and the
typology of addition.
The typology of addition is in itself the typology of mutation.
When looking at different precedents at the building scale it’s
easy to find the modernist approach that contrasts the old and
the new, the neo historicist approach that borrows from the old
to cover the new, the archeological approach of the old being covered
by the new and the preservationist approach of the new occupying
the old. However only when looking at the urban scale did we find
the typology of addition where the new and the old simultaneously
impact one another. The new carves into the body of the old, redirecting
flows and at the same time being redirected by the flows and matter
of the old. When looking at the evolution of urban
typologies through time, it becomes clear that this is not a morphological
and definitely not a stylistic categorization of type; rather
it is a performative one. It is a typology that can
only be defined by relations of weak and strong structures, both
physical (voids, highways) and non physical (social, economical).
In the typology of the suburban house there are two primary structural
systems, the vertical structure (stemming from the foundations
and holding the walls) and the triangulated
structure (holding the pitched roof). This structural logic of
stacking the two disjointed systems one on top of the other can
be found in different environments and dressed in different
styles, but remains the essence of the American suburban house
typology. When looking for the weak points of this typology, the
points where mutation might happen we were
intrigued with the fact that these are indeed two disjointed structural
systems, each performing its own task.
Following
these findings we located the extended volume so that it is hovering
above the existing vertical structure leaving the footprint and
foundation intact. The pitched roof structure
is absorbing the mutation caused by the extension. The joint between
the old and the new is not only indicated on the exterior volumes
but is also registered in the interior of the
house where a double height space is created and the stairs are
located. Despite the double curvature of the volumes they are
made of simplified surfaces that are supported by a
structure of straight lines.
With the concept of mutated context in mind we explored the properties
of the most mundane suburban cladding material – the clapboard.
Despite its seemingly rigid appearance we found different ways
to use it and interpret it in relation to different functions.
On the extended elevated volume the clapboard is placed longitudinally
so that it can accommodate the slight curved distortion of the
volume. The west elevation is opaque following the corridor that
leads to the bedrooms. In the east elevation four planks are removed
where the bedroom windows are. In the portion of the east elevation
that is above the existing structure the planks are set vertically,
extending the orientation of the roof planks acting as brisoleil
that filter the light into the family room which already has a
big window facing north and does not require more direct sunlight.
The roof is sloped west towards the yard so that it can be seen from the
yard and to avoid draining where the east bedroom windows are.
It then changes direction and slopes towards the east where it
connects to the vertical planks both visually and for drainage.
On the morphed roof structure (above the existing house) the planks
are perpendicular to the ridge so that they can be made of flat
pieces. Where possible they are extended vertically and draped
over the existing vertical structure, creating a double skin buffer
for natural air circulation. The existing vertical structure and
foundations remain. Where they continue out of the double skinned
area they are clad with the original horizontal clapboard. On
the north façade the entrance door is cut out of the planks
and on the south façade the planks are twisted horizontally
to create louvers that swing open where the kitchen connects to
the yard (under the cantilevered volume).
Since we wanted to maintain a relatively compact volume the private
programs were placed in the elevated volume and the public programs
were placed in the existing structure which became a big room where
different functions can shift and grow as needed. The program that
connects the two, the family room, is placed in the elevated structure
but because of its semi-public nature it is open to below and allows
for the double height space to flow smoothly. The programmatic use
and treatment of the outdoor spaces are conceived as part of the
addition process where new landscaped spaces are carved into the
existing grass surface.
Sustainability
was addressed on a few levels. As the biggest contributor to waist,
construction demolition was kept to a minimum. The foundation
and exterior walls remain and the roof structure is being recycled.
A compact structure totaling 1,900sq.ft. is aimed at saving both
on construction materials and costs and on heating and cooling
in the long run. The space between the double skin walls, around
the open space on the ground floor, can be opened up in summer
and allow air to cool the walls as it flows through and out a
dedicated opening in the pitched roof. In winter the space is
closed and acts as additional insulation. The footprint of the
building on the ground remains a mere 900sq.ft. and as a result
there is no decline in the soaking capacity of the ground which
is crucial for the low lands of New Jersey.
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