Materiality Office

American Street Houses I

American Street Houses I
© Greg Benson Photography

AMERICAN STREET HOUSES I

Materiality Office

ARCHITCETS
Materiality Office

LOCATION
Philadelphia, United States

CATEGORY
Houses

AREA
11928.0 ft2

PROJECT YEAR
2008

PHOTOGRAPHS
Greg Benson Photography

American Street Houses I
© Greg Benson Photography
American Street Houses I
© Greg Benson Photography
American Street Houses I
© Greg Benson Photography

Text description provided by architect.

Located in a neighborhood of central Philadelphia with a mix of residential and industrial buildings, mostly brick, from the latter part of the nineteenth and early twentieth century the project developed from the proposition that the first new townhouses built in this neighborhood since almost thirty years ago would be different from their predecessors.

Speculatively developed on a triangulated piece of land facing a community garden and park, the simple form of the buildings is intended to bridge the residential and industrial nature of the neighborhood.

American Street Houses I
© Greg Benson Photography
American Street Houses I
© Greg Benson Photography

Spaces between the houses allow sightlines from the street to the park that were formerly open when the lot was empty. A seventeen foot high living room faces the park in the four townhouses as well as a deck on the top floor.

Tight budget conditions required the focus on the overall spaces with cad-cut railings and shelving utilized for economics and aesthetic control. Sliding seven foot wide walls allow the spaces to feel linked and continuous in the bedrooms.

American Street Houses I
© Greg Benson Photography
American Street Houses I
© Greg Benson Photography

The artist and designer Dorian La Padura contributed bright wall colors and window surrounds that reflect color at night as well as a mural in the main dining and living space.

The project was successful economically selling out prior to completion. Within the community it was both loved and hated with little in between.

American Street Houses I
© Greg Benson Photography
American Street Houses I
© Greg Benson Photography

There seemed to be a separation between those who saw the use of anything but brick as a negative while many others appreciated it’s differences.

The project has inspired some imitation, which is not always the most sincere form of flattery.

American Street Houses I
© Greg Benson Photography
American Street Houses I
© Greg Benson Photography
American Street Houses I
© Greg Benson Photography
American Street Houses I
© Greg Benson Photography


American Street Houses I
American Street Houses I


American Street Houses I
Section
American Street Houses I
Plan

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