The Morgan Street Live + Work | Chicago | Illinois | Urbanlab

The Morgan Street project is a 3000 SF mixed-use live + work building. The first floor (1500 SF) is an office and the second floor (1500 SF) is a residence. The building is new “ground-up” construction. Prior to construction, the site was occupied by a run-down grocery store that required immediate demolition. Instead of wrecking the building and removing the debris to a suburban landfill, we choose to recycle the demo on-site and mold a gentle slope into a landscape hill. The residential loft is raised and rotated to access the crest of the prairie grass-planted recycled-materials mound, giving the second floor a direct connection to the ground. The second floor is a prefabricated structural bridge, which connects the mound and an extensive green-roof (the green-roof covers the office)..........more

Hennepin House, Hennepin, Illinois | UrbanLab

X marks the spot for a weekend house for a Chicago couple. An extremely modest budget led to the proposal of a simple box shape of 1,600 sf. Carving the box creates the main living space and links the two landscapes on the site. The hollow of the house organizes views of the forest landscape to the south and prairie landscape to the north, while the extended solid areas become the bedroom zones.

The hollow space seeks to be an interior forest/prairie room; it is wrapped in wood. The floor, ceiling, and walls of the hollow are surfaced in triangulated planes of pine. The pine wrap camouflages the private areas of the house; “secret” sliding wood panels provide access to the bedroom zones.

A perforated corrugated aluminum façade further camouflages the bedroom zones. The panels are both fixed and sliding. UrbanLab designed/built the façade: the raw aluminum sheets were acquired, a local perforation company was organized to custom-perforate the sheets, and then the sheets were corrugated with a friend’s corrugation machine. The perforated corrugated panels provide privacy, modulate light, and provide solar shading to reduce energy use in the summer.....more

Carus Residence | Peru,Illinois | Brininstool-Lynch

Design:2001
Construction: 2002 – 2003
Consultants: Sheffee Lulkin & Associates ,Structural Contractor
Owners :Paul and Tammi Carus
Materials: Concrete, steel and wood framing, slate, granite, ceramic tile, redwood siding, maple and mahogany millwork, radiant heating.
Project Area: 6,900 square feet
Photography: Christopher Barrett, Hedrich Blessing

Positioned on a large, flat site in north central Illinois, this house evokes the horizontal influence of agricultural buildings historically built in the Midwest. The house incorporates a characteristic program for a family of five. However, visual and tactile elements interconnect and resolve each room's function in a way that gives the project an uncommon sensibility. Cement board panels and varied sizes and applications of redwood siding are wrapped over a steel frame to create the exterior skin. To maximize privacy, the house is L-shaped and oriented towards the perimeter of the lot. Facing the street to the north, the house acts as a privacy screen by protecting views into the pool area and yard. To create additional private outdoor space, a screened porch uses only the batten of a board and batten pattern of siding found on adjacent exterior walls. The living and dining area, with floor to ceiling glazing, faces south to benefit from passive solar energy. Its windows, as well as those in the two story wing, all offer articulated views across the landscaped yard to open vistas.
Source:http:brininstool-lynch