A Transitional Custom Single Story Home with an Framed Connection to Landscape
Situated on a uniquely shaped lot the design of this residence situated three simple gable volumes on the site to maximize the reach of the home while keeping the scale of each comfortable. The result is a home with a large footprint, but with purpose: each volume contains a separate, legible purpose
BHA was approached to design a new custom single family home on a uniquely shaped lot in Glenview, IL. In addition to being irregularly shaped the lot featured a utility easement to the south and an apartment building to the west that the clients wanted to buffer from. The goals for the project were to design a home that the clients could comfortably age in place and to maximize connections to landscape – the clients were coming from a more rural home which had long views and desired that same level of connection albeit more tuned to their new urban setting.
After an iterative process the design landed on a form where the homes great room and kitchen were located in a central volume, with two other volumes containing sleeping and utility spaces flanking it. The expression of the single gable forms across the landscape allowed the home to take the most advantage of the uniquely shaped lot, sizing each space to its own needed scale, while stretching in each direction to program the connection to landscape.
The result is a home where views are emphasized in each moment of the experience moving through it: the occupants are always walking towards a framed view, creating a deep connection with the surrounding landscape. The connections between the gabled forms further the experience, with the lower ceilings and materials further excentuating this connection.
The family room and kitchen are contained in the largest volume as the center of the home. Within that volume floor to ceiling windows highlight views in both directions, while the kitchen volume is held down to emphasize the gable volume as primary. The decorative ceiling helps to distinguish between areas to create the perceptual divide between them.
Lastly BHA collaborated with O’Brien Landscape to design the landscape to further connect to the home- the gravel sport court in the back extends the lines of the sleeping volume, and the covered pavilion at the end aligns with the lines of the home and extends the material palette to the backyard, becoming a focal point and encouraging gatherings underneath it, with the integrated bench and the two sided fireplace.