Vancouver and Chicago Interior Designers – Kalu Interiors Blog – All About Interior Design

CONJOINED twins…

March 22nd, 2010

Located in the inherently hilly region of the Palisades, Predock & Frane Architects took on a project which involved an existing 1950′s structure. Suiting of it’s name; Twin Houses, this project entailed a total of 8,000 sq.ft., adjacent structures, conjoining these structures, and exploring with volumes & light of which are all sited on a sloppy hillside. Through cut-outs such as geometrically driven skylights, open cavities such as courtyards, and simplicity of material selection such as wood, concrete and glass, the joined structures collectively create an aesthetic and feel of something quite exquisite!

image from www.predockfrane.com

Here is a little of what the architects had to say about this project…

“…The building program was extensive relative to total city allowances, so we started by intersecting the two envelopes, and then pierced this volume with two courtyards, altering the hillside typology into a hillside/courtyard hybrid.

This typological hybrid ‘corrected’ certain shortcomings in the hillside prototype. The central courtyard creates a large protected outdoor living space secluded from direct engagement with adjacent properties. The main courtyard and adjacent courtyard/recesses pierce the entire volume of the house creating light shafts to rooms typically ‘buried’ in the hillside and further expanding direct access to grounded exterior spaces.

Materially the exterior of the houses are clad in 12″ wide cedar plank, the exterior surface is rough cut, transiting to smooth finish on its interior surfaces. The windows and the interiors of the courtyards are smooth white light reflective surfaces to further transmit light deep into the house…”