The owner sought a second-story addition to his flat-roofed, modern house to take advantage of the expansive vistas and to accommodate a guest suite. The new great room “wedge”, a reinterpretation of existing geometries, introduces a double-height volume that creates a formal hierarchy at the core of the house and a spatial connection to the sitting room above. The introduction of a massive masonry core, clad in local stone, roots the otherwise non-vernacular super-structure to the landscape of rocks and retaining walls. Views are framed through architectural elements to create a more dynamic and intimate relationship with the landscape.  

This new art studio, which takes its geometry from the Westlook Residence “wedge” addition, is intended to be a garden element tucked into the landscape – almost invisible from the street and the main entry. The design was shaped not only by the functional considerations of a working art studio, but also by the preservation of a large tree and the carving of a private outdoor grotto into the sloping site.
Careful light control was imperative to the building’s function as an art studio, and its west façade is mostly opaque; a large northern skylight instead offers a gentle wash of indirect illumination ideal for artists. A custom-built rolling barn door on the southern façade also provides for easily variable light. In all cases, the stark formal geometry imposed by the precedent of the main house is inflected to respond to site and functional considerations. To reinforce the notion of verdant seclusion, the façade facing the main entrance of the house is gently curved and clad in the same stone as the retaining walls, to deflect the casual visitor. Over 80 tons of local stone were used to construct the three walls of the grotto, the curved south façade of the studio and the retaining walls.
The ideas of separation, retreat, and connection to the natural environment were key elements of the design.  

The proposed site for this residential project featured an elongated site on a steep grade, requiring an original approach to design. Turning these difficulties into opportunities, Lerner | Ladds + Bartels took advantage of the lower level by utilizing taller ceilings for family spaces and opening out onto the terraced backyard.
Design work occurred in a very traditional context. A key facet of the architectural solution required the execution of more than a mere replication of the historic style, yet continue to work respectively within the existing context.