10 DEGREE HOUSE by Höweler + Yoon Architecture

IDEAS CITY Festival is being held since yesterday at the New Museum in New York, where one of the architects of this house will be participating in one of the panel discussions. A simple house, marked by large initial limitations such as low budget and a complicated plot.

Memory of project by Höweler + Yoon

Occupying an extremely narrow lot, considered undersized and therefore almost ‘unbuildable’, the 10 Degree House is wedged into the site tapering to accommodate sightlines and setbacks. Challenged by a modest budget, the front façade is occupied by a two car garage, with the front door located off a small courtyard between the garage and the house. As the yards are too narrow to be useful, the courtyard offers an “internal yard” screened from the street by the front volume of the house. The main living area is located adjacent to the courtyard and a set of glass sliding doors allow the living area to extend out into the courtyard.

This house uses a single slope to accommodate one and two half floors: a partial walk out basement below, and an extra room over the garage above. The continuous roof line creates a dramatic interior volume for the living area, and accommodates the extra bedroom as a mezzanine. A study area/overlook connects the two spaces. Custom millwork extends the full height of the section emphasizing the high volume of space.

The house is clad in a neutral grey cement board rain screen, allowing the rich colors of the interior finishes to add warmth. A custom designed aluminum plate guard rail defines the edge of the courtyard screening views and casts dramatic shadows. The courtyard garden is planted with wild grasses and a Japanese maple, and contains a series of precast concrete troughs that form a cascading water feat.

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Interior view. 10 Degree House by Höweler + Yoon Architecture. Photography by Jeff Wolfram.

Interior view. 10 Degree House by Höweler + Yoon Architecture. Photography by Jeff Wolfram.Höweler + Yoon Architecture. Photography by Jeff Wolfram.

Detail, 10 Degree House by Höweler + Yoon Architecture. Photography by Jeff Wolfram.

Basement floor plan,10 DBasement, 10 Degree House. Courtesy of Höweler + Yoon Architecture.

Ground floor plan,10 DBasement, 10 Degree House. Courtesy of Höweler + Yoon Architecture.

First floor plan,10 DBasement, 10 Degree House. Courtesy of Höweler + Yoon Architecture.

Sections,10 DBasement, 10 Degree House. Courtesy of Höweler + Yoon Architecture.

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More information

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Architects

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Höweler+Yoon Architecture.

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Location

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Arlington, VA.

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Program

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Single Family Residence

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Dates

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2012.

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Location

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Arlington, VA, USA.

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Photography

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Jeff Wolfram.

Eric Höweler - J. Meejin Yoon. MY Studio

Höweler + Yoon is a design-driven architecture and urbanism practice whose work is deeply informed by social and cultural context. Höweler + Yoon Architecture has received numerous awards including the Progressive Architecture Award, the Audi Urban Futures Award, the Design Vanguard Award by Architectural Record, the Emerging Voices Award by the Architecture League, as well as several national and local AIA awards and honors.

Eric Höweler (b. Cali, Colombia) is a registered architect, architectural writer, and co-founder of Höweler + Yoon Architecture. He is an Assistant Professor in Architecture at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. Eric Höweler is a registered architect in New York, the District of Columbia, New Jersey, Washington DC and Virginia, and he is a LEED Accredited Professional. He is the author of Skyscraper: Vertical Now, published by Rizzoli/Universe Publishers in 2003. He received a Bachelor of Architecture (1994) and a Masters of Architecture (1996) from Cornell University.

J. Meejin Yoon (b. Seoul, Korea) is an architect, designer, and educator. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and founder of MY Studio (2000) and Höweler + Yoon Architecture (2005). She is the recipient of the United States Artist Award (2009), the RISD/Target Athena Award (2008), the Rome Prize Fellowship in Design (2005), the Metro New York 5 under 35 Award (2005), the Young Architects Award from the Architectural League of New York (2002), and Fulbright Fellowship (1997). She received a Bachelor of Architecture from Cornell University with the AIA Henry Adams Medal (1995), and a Masters of Architecture in Urban Design with Distinction from Harvard University Graduate School of Design (1997).