House C featured 2015 AIA Portland Homes Tour

House C featured in The Wall Street Journal.

House C featured in The Sunday Oregonian.

The design challenge for this 3500 sq. ft. project was how to take the traditional, four-square typology, expand it, and give it a modern sensibility with open spaces, perceptual sight lines and abundant light in a tight urban setting. Since the original four-square house was lost to a fire, the owners decided to rebuild the new house on the former site, a narrow, deep lot in close-in Southeast Portland. After considering many options, it was decided to begin with the diagram of the four-square and extend the plan by two additional squares in the east-west direction for more space for the family. Consideration of solar exposure, public and private relationships, and the interplay between interior and exterior space influenced the form of the house. On the ground floor, we created a large living/dining/kitchen space with large windows to take advantage of views. Aligned on one side with the center of the house, we carved out an elongated circulation space called the LightSpace, which vertically unites the three levels with light that perceptually changes the ambience of the space throughout the day.