1988

The existing suburban house on sloping site provided little access to the rear yard, which in any event had been surrendered to vehicles. New Program requirements were to add an art studio/sometimes gallery, enlarged kitchen, exterior deck space and access to an improved rear yard.

The proposed two story addition, rendered in wood coursing and two-tone blockwork, establishes a separate and distinct presence in  the yard. A central pyramidal skylight (enclosed in a cage of shading growth), large windows and floor slots wash light throughout the studio. The studio is linked to the existing house by a mediating pavilion enclosing informal dining kitchen expansion. Side by side interior and exterior stairs share the experience of moving from the main and new deck level down (past the car area) to the newly landscaped rear yard.

The idealized pavilion of proportion and light sitting in an imaginary landscape was compromised by the realities of suburban New Jersey.