The owners of this 1880’s Italianate two-flat wanted to convert the property to a single-family home and add space. The design concept was to maintain the historic façade in accordance with landmark regulations while renovating the interior and adding a contemporary steel and glass addition to the rear of the home. The addition is a two story space evoking the typology of an orangery—a glass-enclosed structure used as a conservatory, common in England where the owners had lived.

The two-fl at was unified into a single-family residence by a three-story atrium with an open steel and wood staircase. The atrium, with large overhead skylights, functions as a light well for the lower floors. Steel catwalks bridge the front and rear of the home at the second and third levels. The crawl space was excavated and enlarged into a true lower level with highly insulated concrete walls.

A unique design element is an operable 17ft glass aircraft hangar door at the rear of the addition that can be opened to create a continuous interior-exterior space. A landscaped ipe terrace is located on the roof of the addition and is accessible from the third floor living space as well as an exterior staircase.

Sustainable design elements include recycled materials, energy efficient LED lighting, rainwater collection system, drought-tolerant plantings, high-effi ciency mechanicals, solar hot water system, radiant floor heating, and infrastructure for future geothermal installation.

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