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The Hagen / Nameroff Residence
Takoma Park, MD
View Project Photo Gallery: After
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Our main goal in taking on this project was to provide a comfortable space for a string quartet to practice and perform in. Alan designed this project while employed by Heritage Building & Renovation, Inc.
Fig 1: Construction phase.
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Fig 2: Music room.
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Fig 3 : Unusual angle.
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As with any project, there were some constraints; the property was small, so designing a well-proportioned addition had to progress carefully, there was also a lush garden which the owners wanted to preserve as much as possible, including a mature maple tree not to far from the back of the house (Fig 3). Another concern was that the property backed up to an apartment building and it was important to offset the main view from this space.
Additionally, the owners set out to build a structure that wouldn't require a net increase in energy to heat, cool, or illuminate the entire house. Most importantly they wanted it to be a meaningful place to play music. We borrowed favorite pieces of music from the client's collection and listened while
designing the space.
The design projects from the back of the house at an unusual angle - offset from the main axis of the house at 33.69 degrees (Fig 3). This enabled us to present a large wall of windows almost directly due south (see Fig 4). The angle is not coincidental; it is derived from the proportions of a rectangle whose sides have a ration of 3:2. The rectangle became a module for the layout and represents the musical concept of the circle of fifths.
The roof is tipped in that direction. Overhangs (Fig 1) are carefully calibrated to shade the sun during the summer months but not to interfere with the sun's rays during the cold of winter. During the winter months the sunlight penetrates the southerly facing windows and falls upon the travertine floor where it is stored and radiates warmth in the evening.
Sunlight unlocks the beauty of the materials used (Figs 2 and 4); wood in the exposed beams, travertine in the floor, and exposed brick from the original structure of the house. Diagonal sight lines extend the view adding a sense of infinity to this cozy space.
The addition is covered with a vegetated roof (Fig 5), lovingly constructed by the owners, which helps keep the space cooler in the summer, helps protect the watershed and provides enchanting views from the bedroom windows (Fig 6).
Fig 5: Green roof over addition.
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Fig 6: View to green roof from above addition.
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