The Black and White House | Paola Lugli

This project is a result of a full transformation of a 1950s brick typical Arlington house.  
We have a new character to this house by the insertion of the ship lap cladded facade into the existing brick wall. A cut into the existing wall to mark the contemporary intervention, and to give more presence to this dwelling among the rhythm of the others in the street. The 3 symmetrical front windows were mirrored in the back to frame the view to a future beautiful, stepped garden. We worked out a completely new floor plan in the existing footprint, reusing these same bearing points with a new LVL beams structure for the 2 new roofs. One in the front, built as
a reverse dormer to give 12 foot ceiling height and a cathedral ceiling on the interior. The front facade stands as a witness of the new interior open floor plan.
A second roof, larger and flat, in the back, gives 10 foot continuous ceiling height. The
house had typical 8 foot ceiling and a very subdivided floor plan. Through the new tall front openings, we visually connected this now more “urban” house, to the vibrant and fast developing Clarendon neighborhood in Arlington. We added a more contemporary wood staircase with a slats
wall that extends to the floor above to visually connect the 2 floors. Because of zoning restrictions we had to work within the existing foorprint. We embraced this project as a challenge to proove that the real sustainability is to reshape and renew the existing fabric. Insulating and remodeling the old walls and roofs, installing new windows and natural and preserving long lasting existing materials.