IN A NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE the houses all but rub against each other, a major question when designing an addition that nearly doubles the size of a house is: How do you let light in?
THE THREE-STORY COLONIAL building (circa 1895) that sparked this adaptive reuse project occupied less than a third of a long, skinny lot. But space is at a premium in Georgetown, and architect Stephen Vanze made the most of it. Leaving the original historic structure (in the photo, the second building from the right, now designated for retail), intact, he fashioned a brick townhouse at the other end of the lot, then filled the gap between the two buildings with commercial space.
THE HEART OF THIS NINE-STORY, assisted-living center in the cultural core of San Francisco is, appropriately, its fifth floor. Setback requirements created space there for a patio with a view, drawing and dining rooms, and other amenities. The 120 studio units are comfortable but snug, the result of maximizing density and local height limits, says architect Eduardo Caceres.
THE OWNER WANTED CONTEXT with a twist—and he got it. Designed to fit a narrow (50 feet by 100 feet) lot in an established community, the house is well-integrated, although it hardly reads as a generic copy of every other home on the street.
LOCATED JUST A MILE AND A half from downtown Dallas, Fitzhugh Avenue is a street that has seen better days. The planners behind Cityville Fitzhugh, a new apartment/retail complex, are hoping to change all that by luring young professionals back to the urban core.
