Design Work, Portfolio, Remodel
These clients wanted to update their staircase with a new design and full remodel. Their home was originally designed with a helical staircase that was the focal point of the entrance of the home. However, over the years, the home had been renovated and transformed into a much more contemporary space and the original staircase did not complement this much more modern aesthetic. The design solution that our team arrived at provided a much cleaner and more open design with a 90-degree, L-shaped, layout using a single steel stringer broken up by a landing. We fabricated floating treads to complement the existing hand-scraped Hickory floors and used a glass railing for the balustrade, which helped maintain open site lines.
Designer's Notes, Team Spotlight
Project Designers Priscilla Rocha and Tucker Jaroll went on a trip that started in Brasília and ended with a fifteen-hour road trip to Rio de Janeiro where they spent a handful of sunny days in Copacabana. Brasília is known for its modernist architecture, so they were really looking forward to exploring the city.
Design Work, New Construction, Portfolio
At the early start of spring in 2020, we were invited to visit this beautiful family land on the outskirts of Bloomington. We felt an immediate connection to the clients and the land. It was a wonderful experience working with these folks to place and design a home that maximized views of campus off in the distance while preserving the rural appeal of the site. A greenhouse was integrated into the home to serve as one of the main focal points both from the inside and the outside of the home. When approaching the front entry, your eyes are drawn toward a wall of windows that break up the horizontal, prairie-style, roof line. These become the main source of natural light for the 2 story greenhouse. There is also a screen porch, deck, and rooftop patio from which to watch the stars on clear nights and also to capture the views of the main Library at the IU campus during the day.
Addition, Design Work, Portfolio, Remodel
Our client’s need for a pergola and outdoor space allowed Tucker Jaroll and Russ Herndon to “give the house a voice”. The main challenge here was to moderate a harsh western exposure, while not disrupting the beautiful view of the valley, hills, and upward angle sight line for big sky sunsets. Our design team identified the sweet spot for the structure’s roof angle via a solar analysis, allowing the winter sun to still filter into the space while minimizing the direct summer sun. Our team also constructed a pivoting hinged gate element at the carport, providing a visual screen from the drive, or in the open position the covered protection of a carport.
Design Work, Portfolio, Remodel
In the mid-1970s there existed 33 acres under glass in the form of huge cypress and glass greenhouses near Terre Haute. Our client’s father, along with many other craftsmen and homesteaders, salvaged these components when the commercial greenhouses were decommissioned. From this material, our client’s father built an attached 18/12 pitch/angle to harvest the southern sun. Last year our client again reached out to LWB to undertake a remodel of this space while retaining a portion of the now 50-year-old greenhouse system that her father had installed when he salvaged it back in the 70s. LWB designed a new office space within the greenhouse (opening the rest of the house to this wonderful south light) including re-building a position of the old cypress and glass greenhouse system on the west end of the roof structure. The design team challenge led by Alex Minor and Russ Herndon was to reach into the large greenhouse space with an office structure delivering the insulative and comforts of technology while controlling this huge heat gain potential.
