Foster Road Retreat

Foster Road Retreat
© Integrated Studio

FOSTER ROAD RETREAT

Neumann Monson Architects

AREA
2063 ft²

LOCATION
Iowa City, United States

MANUFACTURERS
RHEINZINK, NanaWall, Panda Windows & Doors

CATEGORY
Houses

YEAR
2017

CITY
Iowa City

ELECTRIC
Advanced Electric Inc.

 CONTRACTOR
Smith & Wood Construction

COUNTRY
United States

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
M2B

HVAC
E&J Geothermal

The retreat for an urban developer integrates minimalist elements into a modest 1850’s farmhouse.

Over the years, well-intentioned accretions—ornamental dormers, an incongruous addition, and a cavernous porch—had cloaked the house in a dog’s dinner.

Foster Road Retreat
© Integrated Studio
Foster Road Retreat
© Integrated Studio

Demolishing these elements yields tailored alterations that sympathetically update the house for modern use.

A weathered steel fence demarcates the property, its encircled lawn providing a sanctuary of stone paths and shade trees.

Foster Road Retreat
© Integrated Studio
Foster Road Retreat
© Integrated Studio

Although housing developments have replaced the fields beyond, the homestead still strikes a commanding air.

The retreat’s modest exterior belies the spaciousness of the main floor. Masonry and timber are left exposed, while new surfaces receive variations of white. Details are minimized to let wood, brick, steel, and light converse.

A remnant of the original masonry fireplace anchors the composition, skirted by a suspended steel stair.

The stair provides access to the bedroom suite above, tucked within existing roof geometries.

Foster Road Retreat
© Integrated Studio
Foster Road Retreat
© Integrated Studio

Fully-glazed dormers provide essential headroom, bathing the attic in light and framing views of trees and sky. The intimate suite includes a bedroom, bathroom, and laundry/closet.

The retreat presents an understated choreography of new and old. It expresses deep respect for the humble old farmhouse without delving into nostalgia, reveling in the rural past, or fetishizing fixtures and finishes.

Foster Road Retreat
© Integrated Studio
Foster Road Retreat
© Integrated Studio

Closed cell foam insulates the roof and wall; a closed-loop, a horizontally-bored geothermal system provides climate control; and an 8.4 KW photovoltaic array powers the mechanical system, LED lighting, and EnergyStar appliances. The result is a comfortably stylish upgrade, assertively and unselfconsciously modern.


Foster Road Retreat
Floor Plans
Foster Road Retreat
Floor Plans (Stairs)


Foster Road Retreat
Site Map
Foster Road Retreat
Renovation Diagram


Foster Road Retreat
Stair Assembly Axonometric
Foster Road Retreat
Stair Detail
Foster Road Retreat
Stair Plan and Elevation