T h e L e i n b a c h R e s i d e n c e
The
Leinbachs were retiring and chose to build in Solterra, a passive solar
cohousing community in Durham.
A southern wall of windows allows the winter sun to enter deeply,
warming the concrete floor
and four foot gravel base
beneath. Overhangs protect the interior in summer, and a continuous
trellis, supporting white wisteria, which
dies back in winter, tempers summer heat on the south-facing terrace.
Building within tight spatial and budgetary constraints, we developed a design that used every square inch of the lot, both inside and out. Using fencing, trees and shrubs, we enclosed a sequence of usable outdoor "rooms," onto which indoor ones opened.
These outdoor “rooms,” along with the paths that connect them, define varying degrees of privacy as you move through the site, linking the community path on one side with the more private garden on the other.
To maintain accessibility for everyone, we designed movement through the site and into the house to be free of level change.
An open plan with long diagonal views, plenty of windows, and hallways that end in views out, all help make the house feel bigger than it is (1st floor: 1380 s.f., 2nd floor: 365 s.f.).
Softening the boundaries between inside and outside is another way to enlarge a house. Kitchen, dining and living areas open onto to outdoor terraces and a screened porch, providing cheap additional square footage and nearly doubling the living area of the home.
Depending on the season, exterior doors can be thrown open and outdoor spaces become continuous with indoor ones.
Even the shower gets its own outdoor space with a private garden view and the possibility of outdoor bathing.
Shortened walls, storage cabinets, and sliding panels softly define boundaries between rooms, creating flexible degrees of privacy and openness. Such permeable boundaries allow for the sharing of space and views, making public spaces feel bigger and more private ones feel less confined.
A bookcase,
for example, which screens Nancy’s office from the living room, houses
a shoji screen that pulls out for privacy and then disappears to reveal
a garden view beyond.
We strove also to design spaces that could be used in multiple ways, such as a hallway which doubles as a laundry area,
...or the upstairs tatami room, which doubles as a yoga and meditation space, as well as a guest room for grandchildren.
Working hand in hand with the Leinbachs, we developed space-saving ideas and details: thickening walls to provide storage, using pocket doors and open shelving to eliminate swinging doors, and exploiting hidden voids where accessible. Space under the stair was used to hold linens on one side,
and CDs and stereo equipment on the other.
In the end, client, builder, and architect came together to create a simple, efficient home, tailored to the Leinbach's lifetsyle,
and detailed to make each space a memorable one.
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