CHICAGO INFILL
Location: Chicago, Illinois
The urban Infill House was integrated into a long, narrow site in the typical row house-like building fabric of its Lincoln Park neighborhood. Given the proximity of the neighboring houses, the primary design objective was to optimize visible and physical connections to the street and rear terraces while providing natural light through the masonry sidewalls at discrete moments near the center of the floor plan.
On the street side, a glass façade hovers between two brick walls fenestrated to admit light and views into the deep row house form. Comprised of two, brick clad, CMU bearing walls supporting a composite floor system of steel beams and engineered wood joists, the floor structure spans the width of the house. The interior spaces are arranged enfilade and flanked by a perforated, stainless-steel stair and window-wall that connects all four levels, admitting daylight from the north. Reflections in the glass partition walls, black interior wood paneling, and stair rails amplify the spaciousness of the longitudinal plan.
To maximize the use of the site for social space, gardens and terraces were created throughout the house. To the west, the main level family living areas open onto an exterior courtyard directly connected to a garage rooftop terrace. The third level expands out to an elevated garden terrace overlooking the courtyard below. On the street side, the lower-level entertainment space looks out toward a lush vertical garden wall. The main stair terminates in a rooftop vegetable garden.