Category: Uncategorized

Greetings from in situ studio!

Our one year anniversary is right around the corner! To celebrate, we will be hosting a First Friday event. Look for an invite in the next couple of weeks. 

Our August was very busy with site visits to four houses we currently have under construction. Construction on three other projects is about to begin, and we have started design on several more. Thanks to our clients for making this first year such a success!

And, thanks to you for your continuing support!

NCBG Plant Sale Shade Structure

We have started work on a Plant Sale Shade Structure at the North Carolina Botanical Garden. This is a small-scale, fast-paced project that will be constructed primarily by the NCBG staff. The plant sale site adjacent to the gift shop is currently scorched by full southern and western sun exposure, which would harm plants. Our design alleviates this condition. The Shade Structure’s lath system varies in density to mimic the light quality of a natural understory, providing a range of 40% shade at the south end to 15-20% shade at the north, with indirect light bouncing off the existing stair tower wall to the north.

The lath surface folds down the west side of the structure to mitigate the harshest afternoon sun. A few key site parameters informed the design: providing a space to sell plants, mitigating direct light while maximizing photosynthesis, allowing for the flow of major circulation paths, reusing rainwater and draining it properly, screening the view of the plant sale from the conference room to the south, and accommodating existing plant display tables and the gift shop. Our effort has been a true collaboration, with the staff’s advice directly informing our design decisions. Learn more about this project here.

Project Updates

Several of our projects are under construction and progressing steadily. The footings for the Goodman Residence are already prepared, and we can sense the scale of the house while walking around the site. The precast concrete panel walls are being fabricated now. Once installed, they will become the armature for framing the roof. Panel set is scheduled for 09 08 11. At the Cox Sood Residence, the new raised roof has dramatically changed the living area, bringing in more light and expanding the space. The concrete base of the addition is ready to accept the steel superstructure. The steel at the Graham Pobiner Residence is already in place for the projecting deck and carport, and framing is moving forward at a brisk pace. There’s a second level now! The Chasen Residence should start construction in the next month. We are excited to be teaming up with our office-mates, Axiom Green Build, to realize this house on East Hargett Street in downtown Raleigh. Thanks to our clients for these amazing opportunities and to Redfoot and Weber, Anchorage Building Corporation, and Ballard Construction for a collaborative construction process realizing every detail of our designs. 

We have new renderings of the Chasen Residence and an animation of the Goodman Residence, thanks to the crew at deprocess. With expert skills in all things digital, deprocess creates outstanding renderings for firms in need of a digital representation boost. They are also a resource of design tools, from downloads to tutorials. And they do this with full time jobs on the side! Thanks Will, Jody, Andy, and Ricky! 

Book of the Month

This month we are highlighting Low Impact Development: A Design Manual for Urban Areas by the University of Arkansas’s Community Design Center, where Matt worked in 2004. The book illustrates “ecologically-based stormwater management” with clear diagrams that educate the reader about natural processes of absorbing and filtering water in place before developing a site. Covering everything from roofing and paving materials to residential and public space designs, LID is a book we reference often when planning new projects. Is this book in your collection? Do you know of one that is related? Reply and let us know.

Detail of the Month

Working In Our Community

This summer the Raleigh Chapter of Architecture for Humanity held a design competition for bike racks in downtown Raleigh. Congrats to the winners. We’re looking forward to seeing all the entries displayed for First Friday and Spark Con at the Urban Design Center.  For our submission we teamed up with Matt Tomasulo of CityFabric; see our competition boards here.

Classes have resumed at NC State University’s College of Design. Matt and Wayne Place are co-teaching a graduate studio titled Architecture Design: Technology. Matt is looking forward to collaborating with Wayne, who is an expert in structures, energy systems, and daylighting. Learn more about the School of Architecture here.

The Exploris Middle School Bus Bench fabrication is almost complete. We are grateful to be collaborating with Christian Karkow of Clearscapes, Sara Glee Queen, and Sophia Ann Williams of the NCSU Crafts Center to realize the design of the winning team of 7th graders. Look for images of the completed bench in next month’s newsletter!

Yesterday’s YAF Mentoring Program kickoff was a huge success. All of in situ studio is participating, with Erin as the YAF Director, Matt as an architect mentor, and Nicole as an intern mentor. We’re looking forward to getting to know the students in our groups this semester. Also yesterday, we celebrated the end to an outstandingly successful Kickstarter Project for CityFabric. You can see the final stats here. Congrats!

Please contact us if there is anyway we can help you. 

Best.

in situ studio

919 397 3949
www.insitustudio.us

Greetings from in situ studio!

This month we’ve been busy with the construction of a few projects, submitting proposals for new ones, and traveling – it is summer after all! We hope you have had the chance to escape the heat this summer, too.

We decided to try something new with this month’s newsletter. We are introducing two new sections: Book of the Month and Detail of the Month. We’ll share a book that inspires us, that we find useful, or that is simply enjoyable. We will also highlight a construction detail we appreciate for its logic, materiality or beauty. Reply to tell us what you think; we would love to have a dialogue about these.

Thanks for your continuing support!

Project Updates

With interior framing completed at the Cox Sood Residence, it is time to open up the roof to allow more north light into the living spaces. Ron Weber, of Redfoot and Weber Construction, is leading this labor-intensive process of disassembling the current roof and adding new structure and more insulation, all the while protecting the exposed interior of the house and its exquisite original wood construction. Lighting has also been a major focus. With the help of Sandy Friedman of Accipiter Gallery, we are working towards a lighting scheme that respects the integrity of the structure and provides ample light. Foundations for the addition have begun as well!

Construction for the Graham Pobiner Residence is finally progressing steadily. On site, contractor David Ballard has been busy demolishing unsound existing foundations, and preparing new foundations for the additions. We’ve been plugging away at designing and refining millwork drawings for the kitchen, bathrooms, nooks, and closets. During this process, we learn a lot about how the spaces will function for the clients.

After solving several unforeseen zoning hurdles, the Goodman Residence has its construction permit andAnchorage Building Corporation has broken ground! We are ecstatic to see the realization of our first ground-up project. The Goodman Residence was featured in Form + Function this month. See Mike Welton’s articlehere.

Construction on the Staton Simmons Residence will begin next week on west Cabarrus Street in Boylan Heights. The project includes a new master bathroom and storage solutions in several major spaces. Preserving the appearance of the historic home, the renovation is mainly on the interior. Like many houses, this 1920’s bungalow lacks storage space and closets. We have responded to our clients’ needs by designing thickened walls of millwork that accommodate new storage space and clarify several awkward past renovations.

Book of the Month

Our first Book of the Month is Thinking Architecture by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor. Matt assigns this book to his sophomore architecture students the first week of class, so it seems fitting as the first book we highlight. You don’t have to be an architect to appreciate this book! 

The book is an exploration of the abstract qualities of architecture that stimulate our designs, the “art” of architecture. What inspires an architect to create? What does the experience of the space mean? How do the elements of space, light and materiality interact to create memorable places? Zumthor verbalizes the imagery and engagement of the senses architects try to captivate in their designs. In his casual conversations, he shares memories of his experiences with architecture before he became an architect. The reader gains an insight of what drives the designs of this master architect.

We have selected an excerpt that truly inspires us and speaks to our firm philosophy:
“…The presence of certain buildings has something secret about it. They seem simply to be there. We do not pay any special attention to them. And yet it is virtually impossible to imagine the place where they stand without them. These buildings appear to be anchored firmly in the ground. They give the impression of being a self-evident part of their surroundings and they seem to be saying: ‘I am as you see me and I belong here.'”

We would recommend this book as an addition to any design enthusiast’s library. Please tell us what you think.

Detail of the Month

Journeys Outside the Studio

July was a month of travel! Yet, even during our times away from the office, we try to reach out to the architecture/urban/design community, meeting people and learning all we can.

Matt and his family visited his wife, Ashely’s, family in Houston for the week of the fourth. While there, Matt worked remotely from David Guthrie’s office. He also visited with Carlos Jimenez, who’s studio is across the street from David’s. It was an inspiring and productive week! Ashley and Matt took a day trip to San Antonio to celebrate Matt’s 37th birthday and to visit with and see the work of Tobin Smith, and John Grable, and visit with former student Ryan Tevebaugh at Lake Flato.

While in the North Carolina Mountains last week, Matt also had the opportunity to visit with Jean McLaughlin and Marie Fornaro at the Penland School of Crafts. They discussed upcoming projects on the campus, and Marie was kind enough to lead a comprehensive tour of the facilities. The school is truly a cultural treasure!

Nicole and Matt Tomasulo traveled to Chicago to spread the word about CityFabric’s Kickstarter Project as vendors at the Pitchfork Music Festival. Through Kickstarter, CityFabric is crowd-source funding to expand their design and apparel line, “Wear You Live,” to include the figureground maps of 13 cities. We are avid supporters of CityFabric and its mission to engage people in conversation about place. In fact, each time we have visitors we find ourselves caught up in discussions about the CityFabric Gallery in our studio (come see!). You can help support this local business by visiting their Kickstarter Project and backing it or spreading the word! Chicago was amazing – exploring the city’s invigorating architecture and public spaces, visiting the office of Studio Gang (thanks Katrina!), meeting new CityFabric enthusiasts, and of course enjoying the music!

Erin rode her bike to Harnett County…

Now back home and refreshed, we are ready to continue working alongside our clients to realize their visions for great architecture!

Working in our Community

With summer camps in session, we have had a lot of visitors lately. The new Contemporary Art Museum (CAM) has a series of summer camps for kids of all ages. Sara Queen brought a group of 7th graders to learn what architecture is and what it’s like to work in the profession. And, just this week, Melissa Vaught from Growing Through Play, brought a  group of elementary school kids in the Architecture and Urban Planning camp. They had fun playing with our models and looking for their houses on the Raleigh CityFabric canvas.

We are one of The R3 Committee’s locations for magazine drop-off. We take used architectural magazines and place them in schools and offices. We also recycle other old magazines. If you have any magazines you want to retire, let us know. We have a stack ready to go!

We are expecting a big August for the Raleigh City Farm. More to come next month.

Please contact us if there is anyway we can help you. 

Best.

in situ studio

919 397 3949
www.insitustudio.us

Greetings from in situ studio!

Now into the heat of the summer, our work over the past months has culminated with several projects starting construction. We are learning the skill of balancing current projects while maintaining the continual search for future work. May and June have been busy months!

We have updated images of several of our current and recent projects on the website and our facebook page. Please take some time to browse through them. Other updates follow below.

Thanks for your continuing support!

The Stokes Residence

We are excited to unveil our first completed whole-house renovation! In Cameron Village, the Stokes Residence is a complete renovation of a 1952 bungalow ranch. The focus of this project was a newly-opened floor plan allowing for fluidity of light and movement in the formerly dark and partitioned space. Without the kitchen’s enclosing walls and with new skylights, the naturally illuminated space now extends both horizontally and vertically to the exterior. The project also included updating two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and an office, replacing old windows with operable casements, creating a new porch with embedded planter, refinishing the hardwood floors, and painting inside and out.

Thanks to our team that made this project possible: Fluhrer Reed Structural Engineers, Ballard Construction, and Xylem, Inc.

And thanks to Hilary for the opportunity to create a showcase contemporary interior. We hope you enjoy your new home!

The Chasen Residence

As one project ends, another begins. The The Chasen Residence is a 1,400 SF, 3-bedroom, 2-bath, residence on East Hargett Street in downtown Raleigh. We were excited to learn about two unique interests of our clients: fish and food. The client owns fish, and we are accommodating a large saltwater aquarium with space for making and cleaning its water. Food preparation and meals are an important part of the clients’ life, and we have designed the ground floor to include a large kitchen with a custom-designed, convertible island and kitchen table. The front and side yards of the slim lot allow for a large vegetable garden, sustained by four rain barrels. The front porch spills out as stairs and a gable roof speaks to the context of the historic Southeast Raleigh neighborhood.

With a $107/SF budget, every inch matters. During the design development phase, we’ve tweaked the design to create an efficient floor plan. Considering future growth, the lofted office is designed to be easily enclosed into a third bedroom. A screened porch at the back could also be enclosed to extend the conditioned living space when needed. The site is designed for the addition of a future garage and accessory dwelling once Raleigh’s zoning changes are finalized by the new UDO.

Now begins the push to design this project down to the details. Thanks to Adam and Auditi for their inspiration!

Site Visits: AIA NC CfAD and UNCW Shellfish Research Hatchery

Seeing the physical reality of a design is perhaps the most rewarding experience for an architect. Recently, we were fortunate to visit two major projects Matt and Erin were involved with at Frank Harmon Architect PA, before founding in situ studio.

Thanks to David Crawford of AIA NC for touring us around the AIA NC CfAD construction site. Passing this building daily, we have been following its progress. Standing in its spaces and imagining the finished product developed a new sense of delight and pride. David was committed enough to climb with us to the third level (pictured above). Thanks to Clancy & Theys, David, and the entire building committee for their commitment to this project that is sure to serve the architects of our state beautifully.

Matt also visited Dr. Ami Wilbur in her new lab at the UNCW Shellfish Research Hatchery. This was his most challenging project at Frank’s office due to program requirements, the complexity of the aquaculture system, and the difficulty of fitting the building sensitively on a very constrained site. The hatchery is in full operation and currently growing scallops, a variety of oyster species, and blue crabs. Thanks to Ami for the tour! It was great to see her in her element.

Exploris Middle School Bus Bench Competition

A few months ago we helped Exploris Middle School seventh graders with a charrette designing bus benches for a nearby site. The first and second place teams visited our office this month to see our space and what we’re working on.

We’re now continuing our work with the school to take the winning design and turn it into a real bench! The winning design features a long bench with built-in trash and recycling receptacles, recycled chain link fence, a defined place for a wheelchair, and an integrated bike rack. We’re using the design as a guide while trying to accommodate for materials already acquired. Construction documents are now underway.

Working In Our Community

Last month we hosted the inaugural On The House Happy Hour, a Triangle Modernist Houses event. It was a great success, with over 150 people in attendance! We displayed our recent and current work, and featured the work of Axiom Environmental and CityFabric. Thanks to George Smart for organizing this fun evening with friends, clients, and colleagues. And thanks to The Wine Feed, a new Raleigh wine retailer, for providing the night’s wine menu.

Matt returned inspired from his travels to Charlottesville and New Orleans. The quality of the student work he reviewed at UVA was astounding, thanks to the direction of Marlon Blackwell, Maurice Cox, and Daniel Bluestone. And, the NOLA convention experience was rich with dialogue, food, music, and site visits. Thanks to Steve Dumez for organizing a memorable chain of events! Overall, the week of travel was an amazing opportunity to reinforce existing friendships and forge relationships with new colleagues. We are already looking forward to next year’s convention in DC!

Erin has continued her service on the Raleigh Planning Commission and in several roles within the AIA. One of the most interesting recent developments with the City of Raleigh has been the delicious discussion about allowing food trucks in our city. 

Nicole visited with Emily Pilloton and Matthew Miller of Studio H in Bertie County, making a day trip in mid-May. We are following the construction of this semester’s project, the Windsor Super Market, and hope to visit again soon.

We have continued to cultivate other relationships with several community partners and predict exciting developments this summer with Lemonade International and Raleigh City Farm. Lemonade International’s screening of Reparando at The Rialto Theater was a huge success. We were a proud sponsor and would like to thank everyone who came. 

Please contact us if there is anyway we can help you.

Best.

in situ studio

919 397 3949
www.insitustudio.us

Greetings from in situ studio!

With the destruction of the tornado has come the opportunity to help our community. Now that most of the debris has been cleared, we are collaborating with architecture faculty and students of the College of Design and members of the Triangle chapter of YAF to see how we can help those devastated by the storm in the historic King Charles neighborhood. 

We also have a couple of exciting events on the horizon and updates on our projects to share in this month’s newsletter. As always, thank for your continuing support. Enjoy!

Lemonade International and Reparando

One of our community partners, Lemonade International, will be screening the documentary Reparando in Raleigh tomorrow. We are proud sponsors of this event and hope you can attend.

Lemonade International is a local nonprofit organization striving to help the community of La Limonada in Guatemala City. They have helped children there with education, shelter, and care. We are strong supporters of Bill Cummings and the rest of the Lemonade International crew, and have started discussions about designing a prototype housing solution for this community in need.

Reparando follows the lives of the people in La Limonada as they are repairing their community. Support Lemonade International and the community in Guatemala City by joining us tomorrow, 05 05 11, at the Rialto Theater in Raleigh at 7pm. Purchase tickets and learn more here.

On the House Happy Hour

It’s spring time and we have settled nicely into our studio space. We share the space with Axiom Environmental & Axiom Green Build who just built a large table we designed for our shared conference room. Their next project is installing solar panels on our roof, can’t wait!

You can meet our entire crew and see the office at the inaugural On the House Happy Hour organized by Triangle Modernist Houses. Please join us at our studio at 6:00pm on 05 25 11 for snacks, drinks, architecture, conversation, and fun! RSVP here.

This event will also be opening night for an ongoing exhibition at our studio by City Fabric, a local startup encouraging urban thinking through informative graphic maps.

Graham Pobiner Residence

With the economic downturn, people have become more intelligent with the use of resources as well as more interested in quality design. We promote renovations as a thoughtful approach to sustainability. 
 
We started this project by doing a feasibility study of an existing 1950’s residence and working with a contractor to estimate the cost of charges proposed. This gave our clients the confidence to purchase the house with a future budget in mind.

The existing house is located within Raleigh’s inner-beltline on a surprisingly large, wooded site. The renovation and addition include opening the exterior walls with more windows, extending a large screened porch, performing a complete interior renovation, and adding a second level. The property slopes down to the north, providing a wonderful quality of light to the living spaces. With existing 3′ deep eaves, the spaces will be well-protected from the harsh summer sun. We’re excited how our minimal changes to the building footprint will substantially increase the value of the house!

Goodman Residence

The Goodman Residence is progressing steadily and entering the construction phase! Just yesterday, we met on-site with Anchorage Building Corporation and the Goodmans to make final siting adjustments.

Precast concrete panel fabrication for the exterior walls should start in the next two weeks. This is our first time working with Ideal Precast of Durham, and we’re excited about the high insulation value of the concrete (R45!). The panels are structural, provide insulation, and act as a moisture barrier all in one. Our first ground-up house is almost underway!

Working In Our Community

Congratulations to all the winners of the AIA Triangle Design Awards. We were especially proud of Jayne Goethe and Jason (Jay) Kelly, two of Matt’s former students who received the 2011 AIA Triangle Scholarships. We were also excited that the JC Raultson Arboretum Lath House received a merit award; this was one of the last projects Erin worked on at Frank Harmon Architect, PA. See all entries and award winners here.

This past month, we attended a PechaKucha Night, where Erin spoke about YAF Triangle’s bus bench initiative, Have a Seat. Erin was also a juror for the City of Raleigh Environmental Awards Program, which announced the 2011 winners a couple of weeks ago. We were also quite entertained by Erin’s cartoon accompanying her article in this month’s Architect Magazine.

Matt was featured in Triangle Modernist Houses’s “What I’ve Learned” series this month. See the article here. Next week Matt is excited to be a guest critic on final reviews at The University of Virginia. He will also be attending the AIA National Convention. If you are also attending, let us know. He’d love to see you there. 

Please contact us if there is anyway we can help you.

Best.

in situ studio

919 397 3949
www.insitustudio.us

Greetings from in situ studio!

We had a wonderful March. We are now comfortably settled into our studio space and making good use of it. Thanks to all those friends, colleagues, and clients who have dropped by to enliven our days! Feel free to come by anytime to say hello and see what we are up to.

We would value your feedback. What would you like to see in our next newsletter? What questions do you have about what we do? Please send us a message and share your thoughts. We love what we do and enjoy sharing it with others!

Otherwise, here’s a bit of news about our work over the past month and some upcoming events. If you like what you see, forward it to a friend. Thanks for your continuing support!

On the House Happy Hour

We are excited to announce we will be hosting the inaugural On the House Happy Hour organized by Triangle Modernist Houses. Please join us at the studio at 6:00pm on 05 25 11 for snacks, drinks, architecture, conversation, and fun!

Oaxaca Montessori School

Construction is underway for the highly anticipated and much needed Oaxaca Montessori School. Collaborating with Sara Queen, we have volunteered our services to the Oaxaca Educational Foundation and the Vigia community to renovate and expand their existing school to accommodate a growing community.

Taking advantage of Oaxaca’s dry and temperate climate, the school opens to a courtyard that provides a protected area for children to play in, while dramatically expanding the school’s usable space. The thick north wall of the school building is made of old tires and plastic bottles, with an opening in the stucco finish to reveal the wall construction and provide a teaching tool that encourages the reuse of discarded materials.

Once complete, the newly renovated and expanded school will create new opportunites for the children of the Vigia Community. See more images of this project here.

High Bridge ARTLAB on archdaily

in situ studio was recently highlighted on the well-known architecture blog archdaily! Last year, Matthew Griffith, Will Lambeth, and David Birge worked together on a submission for the High Bridge Competition. Their design featured a new rail station, a live/work space for artists on the High Bridge, a new community arts center on the Washington Heights side of the bridge, and a new public school and rehabilitation of local shops in the High Bridge Community. See the article here.

Church of the Holy Family

We are excited to announce we have been shortlisted to design a renovation and addition to the Church of the Holy Family in Chapel Hill.

This is a challenging project that will focus on clarifying the connection between fellowship and worship programs within the existing campus, establishing a direct connection between the main fellowship areas and a new courtyard, and upgrading mechanical systems in the older portion of the campus. These design goals are very similar to those we met as project architects for the renovation of the First Presbyterian Church Raleigh, which will begin construction later this month. 

AIA NC Center For Architecture and Design

One of the most difficult parts of our decision to leave Frank Harmon’s office was walking away from our roles designing and managing the new headquarters building for the North Carolina Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA NC). This groundbreaking project began in late 2007 with an open competition for all North Carolina Architects. We credit the quality of our winning entry to a productive collaboration with Landscape Architect Gregg Bleam and the dedicated effort of Frank’s entire office.

Having seen the project completely through design and permitting, we are ecstatic to now see the concrete foundations and filigreed steel frame materialize. Many thanks to structural engineer John Moore of 4SE, INC for his efforts in realizing the vision of a thin, folded roof hovering above a multi-tiered site. And, kudos to Clancy + Theys for coordinating the construction of this tightly detailed building. Drive by and see it at the corner of Wilmington and Peace next time you are in downtown Raleigh.

Many thanks to the team at Frank Harmon Architect PA for managing the construction of this project that is so dear to our hearts! And a special thank you to AIA NC for their persistence in making this project possible. See more images of this project here.

Working In Our Community

We recently learned that Habitat for Humanity of Wake County has received the 2011 Recycling Business Development Grant of $20,000, due in part to our assistance. We are glad we could help! Erin and Matthew served on several architecture design juries at the NCSU College of Design in March, and Erin was on the City of Raleigh Environmental Awards jury. We also continued our involvement with local schools, participating in the Daniels Middle School Science Symposium and Career Day at the Cathedral School. As Architects, we enjoy the range of ways we can assist our community and increase design awareness in the process. Learn more here.

Please contact us if there is anyway we can help you.

Best.

in situ studio

919 397 3949
www.insitustudio.us

Greetings from in situ studio!

A lot has happened over the past month. We are now settled into our new office space and invite you to drop by anytime. Nicole, our first intern, has had a huge positive impact on our daily efforts, helping us with design, renderings, and marketing. We are continuing work on several very exciting projects with clients all over the Triangle.  Updates on some of these are provided below.

We are continually thankful for the many friends, colleagues, and clients who have offered their support over the past five months. Please stay in touch!

New Office Space

We have a new studio space! Here’s the address:

in situ studio
218 Snow Avenue
Raleigh, NC  27603

Our First Intern

Nicole Alvarez has been with us for almost four weeks now. She has made a huge positive impact! So far, she has helped us with some critical design decisions, produced digital models of two of our projects, and revolutionized our marketing campaign. You can find her bio here.

Stokes Residence

We are nearing completion of a major renovation to a mid-century ranch in Cameron Village.  The initial stage of the design process was a master plan for the property that included a complete interior renovation with a new kitchen and bathrooms, new landscaping, a front stoop, and a new screened porch.  After receiving estimates from contractors, the owner elected to proceed with the majority of the work, omitting only the screened porch.

Highlights of the new space are the removal of all walls separating the living dining and kitchen areas and two large skylights in the new combined space.  We are also replacing all of the windows and substantially improving the insulation throughout the envelope of the house.  Learn more here.

David Ballard is building the project and has been a pleasure to work with.  Thanks to Hilary Stokes for making our first completed project possible!

Goodman Residence

We are pushing forward on the design of the Goodman Residence in north Raleigh.  This is a very exciting project!

The house is sited on a wooded hillside, above a creek.  The slope of the site tilts towards the north, allowing the roof to both open to the southern exposure and follow the slope of the land.  The result is a low-profile structure that recedes visually into the site.  3′-6″ eave overhangs on all exposures shelter the home year-round from wind, rain, and sun.

Construction is of pre-cast concrete panels and wood framing.  Ideal Precast of Durham is making the panels, which provide R45 insulation when combined with an interior stud wall.  The panels are also structural and sufficient to withstand moisture penetration.  The interior of the house is very open and features a large, central “bar” of millwork that contains many of the support functions.  The owner, who is an expert millwork maker, will be building this key design element.  See more images of our design process here.

We have been collaborating productively with Anchorage Building Corporation of Chapel Hill to design the details, with the aim being to closely approximate the Passivhaus standard.  Thanks to Jim and Berta Goodman for this opportunity!

Cox Sood Residence

We are also well underway with a major renovation and addition to a Deck House in Chapel Hill.  The design includes renovation of all interior spaces, lifting the living room roof, and the addition of a large master bedroom suite, a new deck, and a screened porch.  Large expanses of north-facing glass will allow natural light to pervade the interior of both existing and new spaces.  Existing mechanical systems will be replaced to increase energy efficiency.

Working in our Community

We have recently had the opportunity to be involved with several exciting initiatives in and around downtown Raleigh.  We just completed a four-week charrette process with Exploris Middle School to aid seventh graders there in designing bus benches for a nearby site.  Their work was amazing!  We have also been working with Raleigh City Farm to begin the visioning process for their proposed site in downtown Raleigh.  And, we were recently contacted by the NC Solar Center about the assisting them with the renovation of the NCSU Solar House in preparation for the 2011 National Solar Conference, which will be in Raleigh.  As architects, we enjoy the wide range of ways we can help our community!  Learn more here.

Please contact us if there is anyway we can help you. Thanks for your continued support!

Best.

in situ studio

919 397 3949
www.insitustudio.us