CAN HOUSES BE TRIANGLES?
DUPONT CIRCLE RESIDENCE
can houses be triangles?
IF SPACES TURN CORNERS!
The project is the renovation of a 3,900 SF, two-level apartment on Dupont Circle. The existing space was a lesson in the challenges of converting DC’s commercial office inventory for residential use: low ceilings, imposing structure, insufficient building systems, and a footprint resultant from its position on the triangle between Massachusetts Avenue and P Street NW.
The project was an exercise in “shrink-wrapping”: simplifying geometry with a curtain of elevated finishes. The triangle house shape is resolved by the communicating stair, which connects a double-height living space to the upper level.
The stair, recently featured in Architecture DC, begins oriented parallel to P Street. At an intermediate landing, the user turns to face Massachusetts Avenue and ascends a series of cantilevered parallelogram treads. The treads are steel plate wrapped on five sides in mitered white oak. A stainless steel rod guardrail emphasizes height. The handrail is a leather-wrapped block set on a recessed angle.
The bridge atop the stair connects living space to upper floor bedrooms via a double-height gallery, maximizing the client’s daily interaction with art, light, and the urban context beyond.
can houses be triangles?
