Division1 architects have shared with us some photos of the Roberts Residence located in Rockville, Maryland. Situated on a sloped lot, the existing post-war house was heavily remodeled to accommodate a young family of four and turned into a new, contemporary 3,500 square-foot home. “The 3/4 acre site of the Roberts Residence is bound by, a residential street along its west edge, single-family detached residences on adjacent lots to the north and south, and a wooded park towards the rear. At the front of the site along the street edge the site drops almost immediately by 8 feet. Only the roof of the house is visible from the street. The site continues to slope gently dipping another 12 feet until it reaches the wooded park to the rear of the site.
The existing house (as well as those adjacent to the site) is of typical post-war construction, hastily constructed and lacking any relationship or consideration to the immediate context. With no relationship to the site, no clear entry, no organizing principle of interior spaces, minimal and misplaced windows, the existing house was rather dark, stuffy, and inefficient. The clients, a husband and wife with two pre-school children, came to Division1 seeking a renovation that would not only address these issues, but also provide a home that was suitable to their growing needs.
