WESTWOOD PLACE

The Westwood Wedge (as we fondly call it) is located in the rapidly changing neighborhood of West Asheville. The building lot is on an active street with high visibility. After an initial site study and survey we quickly determined that locating the house towards the rear of the property would protect it from the street and offer increased privacy. It would also allow for a generous porch to spill out on the neighboring field and make a strong connection to the landscape.

Throughout the process we thought carefully about how the house would be used and what spaces would require a new approach. By locating a sunken living room and kitchen at the rear of the house we maximized views and privacy, but also gave the voluminous area a sense of intimacy by stepping it down from the entry. In the end, a high level of involvement, collaborative approach, and desire for energy efficiency resulted in a house that is both site specific and entirely unique.

A GREEN BUILT HOME

A high priority for the homeowner was an environmentally conscious house that would take advantage of the sun with passive heating and cooling strategies. With this in mind, we created a south-facing shed roof to maximize the area for solar panels. In the center of the house, we designed a double-height atrium with vented skylights to draw cool air through the house at night. The double-height atrium also allowed for lots of natural light to flood the interior of the house while minimizing the amount of glass facing the street, which improved privacy.

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