Located in the historic district, this ca. 1870 row house Italianated style was an architectural and administrative challenge. While the design of this addition may defy a traditional approach of Old Town of Alexandria, the choice of materials links its contemporary design with the historic urban site.
Beyond the essence of its traditional nature, architectural elements uncover new significance.
□The cypress siding acts not as waterproofing element but as an openwork siding, first shell of the wall, which vents and breaths naturally, protecting a reflective insulated membrane.
□ The gutters act not as a pipe but as an open channel driving the water in the receptor, as well as a large reveal joint separating the different elements.
□ The two story mahogany window composition include a large second story bay-window with a large fixed picture frame and two pivoting vent-paneling. This juxtaposition of contemporary and vernacular elements emphasizes their real nature and creates a visual dialogue. Beneath, two large pivoting picture frames provides a complete opening on a Japanese garden.
□The natural light streams inside the interior from this group of windows and further from a large sky-wheel.
□ On the south wall, a double story library is entwined with a cantilevered staircase, in Finnish birch and gives access to the second floor and bookshelves.
□ The flat roof holds a suspended garden overlooking the pitched roof of the Old Town.
