Crescent Hill House

This residence is hidden on a small lot in Louisvilleā€™s Crescent Hill. The steep and constricted nature of the site required a small foot print for the house. To keep the interior from feeling constricted, the house was conceived as one volume with an open timber frame structure. The frame allowed the ground level of the house to be open except for a small pantry and a bathroom. At the same time its A-B-A rhythm defines and scales the various living spaces.

The upstairs rooms are treated as volumes inserted into the frame with a stair rising between them. The volumes are held away from the exterior walls and roof membrane to reinforce the openness of the house volume.

A detached garage at the alley side of the site provides privacy and creates a small piazza with the house.

The exterior materials of the house relate to various styles of buildings in the immediate neighborhood. Lap siding and metal shingles relate to the neighbors assorted bungalows and cottages. The brick and limestone related many Georgian style buildings across Grinstead Avenue. These traditional materials are arranged in a collaged manner and are covered with a metal butterfly roof.

The house is very energy efficient due to a combination of passive cooling and heating strategies and a highly insulated building envelope.