C r e a g a n  /  M e s i n a  

west/front elevation


east elevation

south elevation

north elevation

first floor plan 

second floor plan

entry

kitchen

entry

entry

Working with a moderate climate, the plan maximizes the sense of connection to the beautiful sunny site. The main focal point of the first floor is a large south-facing patio which spills onto the grassy rear yard down renaissance inspired concave and convex steps. Large barn type doors and windows and French doors connect all of the public rooms to this patio. The plan is also open allowing public rooms to flow together, separated by ceiling height changes and greenery rather than walls. The master and children’s bedrooms are conceived of as separate smaller houses with their own porches, intersecting with the larger house volume. The second floor balcony looks dramatically over the public spaces below and adds to the sense of openness and connection in the house. While the clients had originally imagined a 4,500 square foot house, through careful design work and efficient layout, we were able to shrink the space requirements to 3,600 square feet for this four bedroom, 3 and a half bath house. The clients also asked that the building present a relatively small and discreet face to the street. We achieved this by extending the body of the house along the north side of the lot and stepping the second floor back considerably from the street. Extending the house along the north side of the property allowed us to orient the windows generally towards the south, providing significant passive solar gain. The walls are framed with 2x6s to allow for greater insulation.