Home is where the Hearth is.

Today's post is a follow up to yesterday's post. I cleaned up the plans, elevations, and sections that went with the perspective I posted yesterday. This house had a real client and was actually built. You can find pictures of the house on our business website studioala.net.

The floor plan is based on two squares placed side by side. The squares are then divided into quarters, created by three axes. Along the northern axis a grand space is formed running from an entry court at the rear, under a stair landing, through the dining room, and out a full-height window. The central axis runs down the middle of the house. A rear door the kitchen galley, the elevator, the hearth, the front door and front railing lay along it. The southern axis runs through a rear door, the bar area of the kitchen, the living room and a recessed reading nook. The three part division is reflected in the front elevation which was designed to resemble the unfinished facade of an Italian Renaissance church. The silhouette with the slightly off center chimney also resembles a child's drawing of a "house" and is a reference to archetypal ideas of home.

The site slopes down from North to South, which necessitated the use of several retaining walls. This created a stepped design in section. This gives the -1 Floor and the 0 Floor direct access to the exterior.

I'm quite pleased with how the drawings turned out. The grey, surprisingly, adds just a touch of interest to drawings. I'm particularly pleased with the 0 Floor drawing.