Our Lady of the Alley
Photography by Leonid Furmansky
Project Team: Mell Lawrence & Dan Gruber
DESCRIPTION:
As part of the collection of buildings on the site, the client envisioned a large lofty barn structure for his workshop. In order to provide the needed connections to the alley and the upper levels of the site, the whole structure was dug into the hillside, accessible at grade from the alley while terracing up to an outdoor room off the upper level office.
The majority of the building is unconditioned - only the office is heated and cooled, with heavily insulated walls. The lower level is made of concrete walls, retaining earth as it cuts into the hillside. Above, a layering of structural steel lends a sense of depth and volume to the vaulted interior spaces.
The building relies on natural light to illuminate the interior through a series of skylights. At the gabled form facing the alley, a prismatic glass steeple lights the interior during the day and becomes a softly glowing, welcoming beacon at night.