The I On Haven

CLASS: Architectural Engineering and Design 1

ADVISORS: Larry Booth & Scott Cyphers, Booth-Hansen

WORK TIME: 10 weeks

This class serves as the first in a 3-part introduction to architecture series for Northwestern University’s Architectural Engineering and Design Minor. The goal of this class is to design a home for a Northwestern faculty member and their family.

The site faces unique constraints and edge conditions as it faces a busy university parking lot on its East side, a church to the South, and other residences to the North and West.

The main concept of this home is linearity, with all central aspects located along the site’s center line. The bottom of the I-shape contains the entry, opening directly into the living area with a large central fireplace, office, powder room, fitness room, and guest room or flex space.

Continuing through the home, the center of the “I” is the kitchen atrium featuring sliding glass doors allowing for indoor/outdoor living in the spring, summer, and early fall. Off the kitchen, each of the side courtyards is sunken down, creating a change of experience as one enters the outdoor living space. Bringing the courtyards below grade solves the issue of privacy with outdoor living on the site without the use of fences or coverings that would restrict light entry or the feeling of openness.