Architecture, Conceptual
Design for an Alley-Infill, Single-Family Residence
Home at West 10th Alley
The Home at West 10th Alley was completed with guidance from James Givens, who led the Intermediate Design Studio at the University of Oregon.
A home designed for how we live now.
Through thoughtful residential architecture design, the Home at West 10th Alley supports an urban notion in which greater residential density and more efficient living are desired, but the comforts of a detached house have not been let go.
As an infill home on a small lot, it is subject to zoning that limits its size. However, by merging the living, dining, and kitchen spaces into one layered room, the home provides the comforts of a much larger house, without wasting space on separate vestigial rooms that sit empty through much of the day.
The home facilitates and enriches the rituals and habits we have developed in our contemporary culture as urban dwellers, and allows them to take place in a setting that satisfies the desire to have a home of one’s own, but at an increased urban density that is more beneficial to the community and the environment.
A Home for How We Live Now
The blended room is where life happens: one man sipping coffee on a rainy winter morning, or a couple cooking dinner while their toddler plays with a train set on the floor, or a group of friends drinking wine as the party spills into the garden in the afternoon sun.
A respect for context: considering the neighborhood, the city, and the region.
In addition to complying with city-wide zoning requirements for alley-access-only dwellings, the Home at West 10th Alley also complies with a neighborhood design guide, which relies on certain aesthetic rules, such as roof slope, to maintain the look and feel of the older neighborhood. Lastly, the house uses natural, even rustic, materials and finishes that are consistent with the style of the Pacific Northwest. The Home at West 10th Alley is thus immediately, locally, and regionally respectful of its context, completely at home in its environment.
Two Wings Meet
Viewed from the south, the house is formed by two wings separated by a glass foyer. This separation allows the house to appear as two smaller structures that fit appropriately into the context of the alley.
Two wings meet.
As an alley-access-only house, the structure remains low, and does not impose on its neighbors. A glazed entryway separates the two wings such that they appear as two smaller masses, especially fitting for an alley, which is typically populated with small structures.
Small Package, Many Things
Built of heavy timber and masonry, the home uses natural materials that will last generations.
Small package, full of many things.
- 2 Bedrooms:
- Master Suite + Flex Room
- 1 1/2 Baths:
- Full Master Bath + Powder Room
- Other Interior Spaces:
- Entry, "Blended Room", Hall Library
- Non-Conditioned Interior Spaces:
- Screened Porch
- Exterior Spaces:
- Patios, Garden, Parking Court
- Lot Area (70’ x 44’):
- 3,080 SF
- Gross Building Footprint:
- 1,360 SF
- Conditioned Space:
- 1,054 SF
- Occupiable Space:
- 972 SF
- Loft Storage Space:
- 51 SF
A Multiplicity of Functions
The walls of the hallway are lined with built-in shelves, and the end of the hall is home to a cozy window seat.
A Multiplicity of Functions
The walls of the hallway are lined with built-in shelves, and the end of the hall is home to a cozy window seat.
Glazed Foyer
Light floods into the foyer though a full-width skylight, and the large French doors opening to the backyard.
Glazed Foyer
Light floods into the foyer though a full-width skylight, and the large French doors opening to the backyard.
A Social Yard
Multiple rooms open widely into the yard, inviting the inside out, and the outside in for social gatherings large and small.
A Social Yard
Multiple rooms open widely into the yard, inviting the inside out, and the outside in for social gatherings large and small.
Partí Overlay
The house is composed of two offset squares, linked by a transparent foyer which allows a peek of the all-important garden right from the front door, a subtle hint about the importance of the surrounding environment.
Partí Overlay
The house is composed of two offset squares, linked by a transparent foyer which allows a peek of the all-important garden right from the front door, a subtle hint about the importance of the surrounding environment.
Axial View Corridors
An unobstructed view through the entire length and width of the house creates the illusion of more space than the small lot allows by providing as extended of views as possible.
Axial View Corridors
An unobstructed view through the entire length and width of the house creates the illusion of more space than the small lot allows by providing as extended of views as possible.
Relationship to the Garden
In a small house, a relationship with the outdoors is especially important. Careful curation of view and access creates the feeling that each room actually extends beyond the physical walls of the home.
Relationship to the Garden
In a small house, a relationship with the outdoors is especially important. Careful curation of view and access creates the feeling that each room actually extends beyond the physical walls of the home.
A multiplicity of functions.
No room in the house has only one function, even the hallway, which doubles as the library, complete with a reading nook that has a full axial view of the property.
A Blended Room
One large room houses the living room, the kitchen, and the dining space, but the areas maintain their individuality through careful use of partitions, space-forming elements, and the articulation of the ceiling and ground planes.
A Blended Room
One large room houses the living room, the kitchen, and the dining space, but the areas maintain their individuality through careful use of partitions, space-forming elements, and the articulation of the ceiling and ground planes.
An Inglenook
Built-in seating around the fireplace, provides not just comfort through radiant heat, but additional storage below, ever important in a small space.
An Inglenook
Built-in seating around the fireplace, provides not just comfort through radiant heat, but additional storage below, ever important in a small space.
A sense of permanence.
Though not nostalgic, the Home at West 10th Alley still provides the deep-rooted comforts associated with the idea of “home” for so many: the visual cue and tactile pleasure of materials of the earth, a cradled nook around the hearth, a generous link to the outdoors, and the aural pleasure of rain on a glazed roof. Constructed of double-thick insulated masonry walls and heavy timber structure set within the building envelope, the house exudes a sense of wholeness and permanence. This is not a house that will deteriorate in decades, but one that is meant to last for generations.
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