Sometimes, your home needs lots of space to do the things you love – like dance. This homeowner had a dream of a place to move, with plenty of sunlight and space for more dancers to join her. We created a new building, maximizing the height and emphasizing movement, even letting the roof dance around the top of the building, opening up to let in sunlight on the south, and folding down to protect the north. The studio gives you a feeling of floating above the trees, opening up wide casement windows to catch the breeze.
Along the main window wall, wide benches provide a place to site and rest and watch, or read by an open window. There’s even enough room for traveling dancers to sleep, as they’re wide enough for twin beds. There’s plenty of storage down below, and even more storage in the large garage on the first floor. The neighbors appreciate that it fits in so nicely with the nieghborhood, and the owner appreciates that it adds some unique personality.
Sustainability was a high priority in this project. The windows are carefully arranged to allow the sun to stream in and help heat the space in winter (see the interior photo, in winter), while the wide southern overhang blocks most of the direct sun in the summer (see the exterior photo, in summer). The studio is well insulated with dense pack cellulose and uses an efficient heat pump to heat and cool the interior. The materials are simple and cost-effective, chosen to minimize carbon use and off-gassing VOC’s.
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