The owners of this Squirrel Hill North project needed more room for themselves and their children. Fisher ARCHitecture has designed them a new addition that is mindful of both their existing snug 60’s contemporary home and their park-adjacent neighborhood.  (Guess which park!)

We presented several alternatives but are happy they chose the solution they did: The big idea – what architects used to call the “Parti” –  is to join their existing living room and their new bedroom with a new exterior courtyard where the parents may relax and their kids can play. Views into the courtyard are framed through continuous glass walls, making these two rooms feel larger and more welcoming than they would if they were fully enclosed.  Considering Pittsburgh’s punishing, gray winter weather, we make bringing light into the spaces we design a large priority at Fisher ARCHitecture!

Any tension that may have been induced by being in this enclosed space is done away with by means of a spiral stair that connects to a new rooftop garden where, at present, we plan to install an extensive living roof, a covered sitting area, and a firepit!

Here is a link to a video talking through our process developing the earliest project ideas. If you are interested in how architects ACTUALLY conceive of ideas, as opposed to the way the process is presented on TV, this video may be of  interest to you.