Schönberg Residence Addition

Some Images - Some Thoughts

2010-06-30T08:56:00.020-04:00

Slowing down traffic with curiously hovering red boxes tickling the traditional sensibilities of an urban tree-lined neighborhood, Charlotte’s latest architectural triumph of contemporary design is breaking all conventions.

Via a modern climbing library that immediately evokes adventure, stylish comfort, and the intimacy of reading, Dialect Design, a design + build firm, has created an ingenious and refreshingly unexpected space. The Schönberg residence second story addition bears the mark of all things classically Dialect – a sophisticated use of color that effortlessly runs from the coolly subdued to the richly dramatic; an expert and unconventional approach to materials and construction; and an eye for detail so subtle the soul of the design is upon you before you know it.

Upon entering the library, “finesse” and “order” make a great first impression. The “boxes within boxes” construction of recessed shelves reveals shadow lines that seemingly float the shelves inside the library walls. This simultaneous directional and uncluttered use of reveals is beautifully intended. Throughout the space, as steel, concrete, glass, aluminum, acrylic, fabric, and wood engage, their reveals provide a sense of separation, definition, movement, and harmony that yearns to be lived in. From the walls to the floors, doors, and windows, the entire renovation is a study in clean functionality, flush meetings, and visual ease. Additionally, the ordered elegance of the library’s interior shelves is echoed to dramatic effect with the protruding iconic red boxes that stop traffic and define the space’s exterior.

Pinwheeling around the library are three exceptionally appointed bedrooms and the swankiest shared bath three siblings could wish for. The inhabitants are Caroline and Matthias Schönberg’s 4, 7, and 11 year-old daughters. With its translucent acrylic counter, deeply red stained cabinetry, ubiquitously running glass and ceramic tile, and the perfect touches of whimsy, the bath is a fete of serious design and young lady appropriateness. Whether the light rich second floor is filled with the blush of day or night sky it is clear these young ladies provide a vibrancy and energy even the space’s solar paneled roof can’t match. Dialect has deftly created a sophisticated space that encourages the electrifying resonance of children while inspiring adults to inhabit it as well. According to Caroline Schönberg, it’s no wonder that upon climbing the library’s heights everyone is compelled to tell their best tree house stories.

Visionary, thoughtful, and collaborative, the Schönberg project is an example of successful innovation. Dialect’s inclusiveness with the Schönbergs created an environment where the renovation inspired trust and invigorated daily life without disrupting it. In service of achieving something unique and fresh, every tradesperson and sub-contractor rose to the challenge of rethinking the conventions of their expertise.

The sheer presence of the climbing library has enriched residential life for the Schönbergs. The family’s emotional center has shifted to the environs of the library while the treasures of their international lives have an ideal place to reside. As the addition’s influence finds its way into other parts of the home, an open steel screen marries the kitchen to the library’s ascent; a glassy red veined concrete floor sets a new standard for a sleekly finished garage; the outdoor interplay of Dialect’s iconic red boxes, rich grey surfaces, directional reveals, flat roof and visually seamless aluminum gutter harmonizes beautifully with the rest of the house and the outdoors.

The outdoors is used to great effect as perforated aluminum sunshades overlook the outside back terrace. The sunshades expertly bring the outside in by casting playful shadow patterns on the bamboo floors of an enviably lush and voluminous interior hallway. The front of the house welcomes visitors with a bold and refreshing design perspective. Completely flush in its niche and confidently asymmetrical, a black anodized steel door sporting the luster of glass detailing and a perfectly juicy red accent is a stunning example of Dialect’s proven ingenuity with doors.

For the Schönbergs, the excitement of their addition continues to inspire.

For Dialect, the excitement of innovation never stops.

Visit the Schönberg project and other examples of Dialect innovation at DialectDesign.com

images - Armando Bellmas

words - John W. Love Jr.

Sit down Baby, and enjoy! - we passed the final inspection; yeah :)

2010-04-19T12:03:00.001-04:00

While we are awaiting the final inspection: here is a shot of the bathroom!

2010-04-13T16:31:00.000-04:00

The floor is in !!

2010-03-11T11:37:00.006-05:00

AAAAhh! The bamboo floor, a renewable resource by the way, is in. The library looks just drop-dead gorgeous. Red cushions and all. Now we just missing the kids and books. You can see the original idea and some of the planning at an older post entry: http://schoenberg-residence-addition.blogspot.com/2009/06/development-of-idea.html

Bits and Pieces

2010-03-11T11:06:00.002-05:00

A lot of the small stuff has gone in: door handles, door stops, locks, cabinets, plumbing fixtures shower glass, an so on. Some of these pieces you can see at our box of goodies at http://dialectsallthingsmodern.blogspot.com/ !

Aaaahhhhh - look at it!

2010-01-26T11:24:00.000-05:00

The bathroom is finishing up!

2010-01-25T16:49:00.002-05:00

Working away on the bathroom. The red cabinet was hung today. The frosted acrylic counter is coming in tomorrow. And the tile work is almost completed.

The wood floor is going to be delivered tomorrow as well for the rest of the the building. We can see it buttoned up. It's getting exciting!

The Bathroom-Counter is ready for delivery!

2010-01-15T13:10:00.002-05:00

Architectural Record is picking up on the Hot Red Heat!

2010-01-12T10:04:00.005-05:00

In the Architectural Record online addition they featured an image of the house. It's in their "Residential Showcase".

Filling In The Insides

2009-12-15T16:03:00.002-05:00

We are working away on getting the inside finished up. The holidays are getting in the way, but we are making progress. You can see one of us chatting with the homeowner. The cabinets are getting installed and most of the lights are in. You can see some red fabric hanging about on the right side. That is for cushions going into the library tower.

Its Shaping Up

2009-10-29T20:16:00.006-04:00

Well, the windows have to be cleaned, lights have to be installed and a few touch ups are jet to be done, but it is already looking quite spiffy.

Painting Painting Painting

2009-10-22T20:35:00.004-04:00

Our painters were working hard today on the exterior. It is turning out beautiful. Everybody is happy; the homeowners, the painters and us. And these shots were taking at a cloudy moment. The building was radiating in the sun.

even redder in contrast

2009-10-22T14:04:00.001-04:00

You can see the darker color of the main building mass next to the red library box.

WE SEE RED

2009-10-21T16:12:00.003-04:00

The first splotches of red are appearing on our"red boxes". Aaaaaaaghhhhhh. Gorgeous.

The top caps for the roof were going on today as well. They are still missing over the red area. The undersie of the red boxes are going to be red as well.

The first hint of Red and Cabinetry

2009-10-20T16:04:00.005-04:00

We started today on the exterior painting. But as we don't have pictures of it yet, here is a shot from the hallway. The curved ceiling above the staircase coming up to the second floor received the same red that the exterior library volumes will too. The painting here is obviously not done.

We stopped by the cabinet maker again today. This is the piece that goes into the hallway. As a matter of fact it fits into the same hole that you see in the picture of the last post below.

Colorful Colors

2009-10-13T15:15:00.004-04:00

Can't help but to show you some more of the colors. The pictures are a bit fuzzy, but they still make us smile. The image above is a look into the hallway. You can see the bookcases missing and the flooring. It's going to be magnificent when it is all done.

These are two of the girls' rooms.

First Finishing Touches

2009-10-12T14:53:00.003-04:00

We stopped by our cabinet maker today. We had been messing around with the details of the simple shelving boxes for the library. We ended up with a reveal detail that made him and us happy.

The first bits of color are appearing. This is the beginning of one of the three bedrooms. Each of our client's three girls picked their own color scheme with us.

did you see the "RED" ?

2009-10-01T11:13:00.002-04:00

We mean red. These are the exterior color choices. We spent some good time yesterday with the client and went over the color scheme. It's going to be drop-dead gorgeous.

A Good Look

2009-10-01T11:06:00.002-04:00

Here is a good shot of the current state. As you can see, we are missing the caps on the roof parapets and the top of the awning. Also keep in mind that the exterior color is yet to change. The little box sticking out from the wall as well as the volume housing the library in the rear is going to be red and the main part of the building is going to be of a darker color.

Solar Thermal Panels Installed

2009-10-01T10:36:00.007-04:00

The Solar Panels were installed. As you can see there are two of them. They are being hooked up to the plumbing system with a holding tank and back-up electrical heater. They will supply the hot water for the entire building. The cost of the system will be offset by the lack of utility bills within a few years.

Watch a quick and dirty YouTube clip on it. (We are no cinematographers here, but give it a try!)

Solar Thermal Panels Installed

2009-10-01T10:00:00.007-04:00

... a shabby but good look via youtube

2009-09-28T20:40:00.002-04:00

More Sights of Siding

2009-09-23T20:18:00.007-04:00

See the post below of more information. Keep in mind that these are not the final colors. Note the detailing around the windows and the building corner:

Siding in Sight

2009-09-22T14:08:00.007-04:00

The siding is going up this week. Here you can see how the Hardie Panels are being installed. We are very specific about the detailing. Each panel is lined on all sides with a 1/2" reveal, a shadow line. These lines are being extended to create a cohesive pattern. The building corners, as well as the windows and other elements are treated the same way. We worked out the constructional details of these shadow lines with our siding crew to allow for optimal water run off and final looks.

These Hardie Panels and the flashing pieces of the shadow lines are going to be painted later on uniformly.

Another area will receive a metal siding. We will show you more as it goes up.

And dryer walls ......

2009-09-12T11:26:00.001-04:00

Here is another shot of the library area being prepared by the drywall
crew. After painting the shelving units will go in.

Dry Walls

2009-09-10T17:26:00.001-04:00

You can see here the drywall work shaping up in the library/play area.
A prototype of the shelving pieces is loosely hanging in its spot, as
well, for testing.

The little Red Box' Cap

2009-09-10T17:21:00.000-04:00

Today the cap for our little red box was installed. We are getting
ready for siding. In the meantime the drywallers are going crazy in
the inside.

Compliments

2009-09-03T19:49:00.001-04:00

Today we discovered that somebody was appreciating our work. To whom
ever it might be: "Thank You!"

Rummaging In the Intestines

2009-08-27T13:21:00.002-04:00

We are now busy with all the interior guts of the building. That is plumbing, electrical lines, and the heating and air conditioning system. The last couple of framing pieces are being taken care of as well. Next week we are planning to install the insulation.

A Pile Of Wood

2009-08-14T18:56:00.000-04:00

The framing of the library tower is turning out to be quite a forest.
But luckely the framing crew is made of excellent craftsmen.

Awning Support

2009-08-14T12:27:00.004-04:00

These are the vertical steel awning supports that are in between the individual windows of the hallway. You can see how they tie back into our LVL structural beam. The brackets are going to hold the horizontal arms that are going to stick out from the building by 4'-10. We went for this solution, where the arms are going to be bolted in, then leveled, and in the end welded in the field. This way we are allowing for an easier installation and perfect leveling and straightening out of all pieces in the field.

There are the horizontal members going in.

Roofing

2009-08-14T12:20:00.003-04:00

You can make out some of the layers going into the roofing. It's a flat roof, almost flat that is. It has as slight slope of 1/4" in 12" to insure the water is running off into the direction you want.
The last layer is a white reflected surface that is glued on. It will be highly reflective to decrease the heat impact of the sun. In this picture you can also see the plumbing vent coming from the bathroom. it is going to be cut of to the height of the parapet, so that you won't see it. We guided it through the parapet, so that we do not have an unnecessary penetration through the roof proper.

More Framing

2009-08-11T13:35:00.000-04:00

We are almost done with framing. You can make out all the volumes now
nicely. The steel studs in the bank of windows are up as well. They
will hold up the awning. The plumbers, roofers, and hvac folks are
moving in now.

Street View

2009-07-30T15:34:00.001-04:00

Here you can see the look from the front street. It is quite tamed from this vantage point. Our modern addition will peer naughtily with a smirk over the rest of the house. Enough to make you wonder.

Framing

2009-07-23T16:01:00.002-04:00

We are into the framing stage. The partial demo work on the existing garage went well. All the site protection and preparation also went smoothly. We had to have a service change done to the existing electrical system, so that our clients can continue using the main house during the construction. Some plumbing lines had to also be temporarily capped.

You can make out already the beginnings of the little "red box" sticking out, as well as the location of the bank of hallway windows.

The Development of an Idea

2009-06-25T12:59:00.006-04:00

The "library tower" came about, as we were working out the hallway and common areas between all the bedrooms. We tried to assemble here a few sketches and drawings to illustrate how an idea like this develops. The first images shows the first quick attempts to hold on to a fleeing idea. Following is a preliminary sketch we presented to the client. And the last image shows the whole building section as it was used in our construction drawings:

The end result is a world of books and toys that surround a playfully climbing set of bookshelves. It ends in an elevated platform that is surrounded by large windows, a perfect spot to cuddle up and get lost in a good book. Note how the shelving is set into the walls, the floor and the ceiling. On the opposite end this corridor juts out over the backyard and existing terrace in a low "red box". This is the extension of the play area into a nook, which is also defined by a window.

This area is also integrated into the hallway, as you can see in the plan. In conjunction with the bank of floor-to-ceiling windows in the extra wide hallway an area of play is created. It makes good use of the square feet that have to be allocated to circulation and offers a rich and wonderful environment.

The Floor Plan

2009-06-19T14:13:00.002-04:00

Here is the floor plan. The steps on the bottom left lead up to this new second floor. Since the garage below is a little lower than the main floor and we are dropping the new second floor down, lower than what the existing garage ceiling is, the stair is not a full staircase. You are only climbing a half story up. This helped increase the connection of the new children’s world to the rest of the house. The stair ends right next to the breakfast room and kitchen area.
You can easily make out the three bedrooms and the bath. Look also at the wider hallway that turns into the “library tower” and the little”red box”, on the top and bottom of the plan respectively. More about those later.

The Preliminary Design Sketch

2009-06-19T12:59:00.004-04:00

This is the preliminary design sketch of the addition. The existing house’s layout is basically an “L”-shape. The smaller leg goes off from the back of the house and houses the existing garage and guest suite. In this sketch you can see the mass of the existing house on the left. You are standing on the terrace located in the inside corner of the “L”, and you are looking towards the addition.
On the first floor the garage and guest suite remains. The garage door is on the opposite side of this view. The existing first floor is going to be re-clad to match the second story addition and unify this wing of the house.
You can see some of the basic elements of the design here. A modern and simple general look, the wide open hallway with its large windows. The “awning”. The little “red box”. And the climbing “library tower” sticking up in the back.
This addition will create three bedrooms for the three young daughters of the homeowners, a bath for them, and an area that playfully integrates circulation, the library and plenty of play area.

Getting Started

2009-06-19T12:44:00.002-04:00

As we are getting started on the construction of this addition, we decided to offer a blog on the progress of creating a modern dwelling. A lot has happened already. And as we are posting moments of the upcoming steps, we will also throw in information on the work leading up to now.

As all our projects, we have had initial meetings, contract negotiations, and site analysis. We measured and documented the existing house, gathered zoning and other restrictions and information, and had lots of discussions and meetings on the wishes and needs of our clients.

In this case we also developed several concepts to find the best way, place, and form for all the whishes our clients asked of the changes to be made to their house. This version, we decided on in the end, is a second story addition over the existing garage and guest suite wing.

What followed was a design development with hand drawn elevations and floor plans. These lead to fully fledged construction drawings.

As we moved into the construction phase, we worked out a full cost analysis that resulted in a lot of meetings with sub contractors on site and options for the home owners.

We will expand on all of these steps in future posts. In the meantime enjoy following us as we are getting ready for some demolition work and new construction. Don’t forget to visit us at dialectdesign.com.