Kangaroo House
Brooklyn, New York
Photo © Amy Hauck
Photo © Amy Hauck
Photo © Amy Hauck
Photo © Amy Hauck
Photo © Amy Hauck
Photo © Amy Hauck
Image courtesy OPerA Studio Architecture
First Floor
Image courtesy OPerA Studio Architecture
Second Floor
Image courtesy OPerA Studio Architecture
Third Floor
Image courtesy OPerA Studio Architecture
Architects & Firms
Project size: 3,100 sf
Program: The architects reimagined the contemporary rowhouse through this renovation and expansion of an 1899 wood frame house that had been stripped of detail and left in disrepair.
Location: Brooklyn’s residential Park Slope neighborhood
Solution: This two-family dwelling piggybacks a four bedroom triplex unit behind a front two-bedroom duplex—a unique configuration which earned it the name “Kangaroo House.” Upon entering the triplex unit, the space expands as the floor drops to garden level with a high ceiling and full width steel windows connecting the garden to the living space. The stair and skylight provide a vertical spine to the house, bringing light in from the top floor and connecting all levels to a rooftop garden.
Construction and materials: The 2,000-square-foot, steel frame expansion utilized the full width of the site and was built with concrete blocks. The existing wood frame facade was reclad with cedar siding and minimal detail, recalling the scale and texture of the historic buildings on the street. Each unit has a distinctive facade, with the rear triplex unit entry clad in grey brick and the front duplex clad in cedar lap siding.
Completion date: June 2016
Additional Information
Total project cost: $2,100,000
Client: Patrick Brennan
PeopleArchitect: OPerA Studio Architecture
Personnel in architect's firm who should receive special credit: Partner in Charge - Thomas Barry, RA
Engineers: Structural Engineer - AGPE, PLLC
General contractor: Great Will 88 Contracting, Inc.
Photographer: Amy Hauck, 937 305 3849
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ProductsStructural System Existing wood framed party-walls were maintained for the front portion of the townhouse. Addition at rear and 3rd floor were a mix of CMU sidewalls with heavy gauge steel stud framing. Exterior Cladding Masonry: Gray brick from Belden Tri-State Building Materials was used at the rear facade and at the front facade around the entry to the owners unit. Wood: Cedar siding was used at the front facade. Roofing Built-up roofing: Firestone A.P.P. modified bitumen roofing Windows Wood frame: Marvin aluminum clad wood framed windows used at all punches openings. Metal frame: The large opening off of the living room at the rear of the building is a thermally broken Steel-Arte window and door from Dynamic Windows. Glazing Skylights: Velux Solar Fresh Air Skylights Doors Entrances: Reeb Exterior Doors Metal doors: The large opening off of the living room at the rear of the building is a thermally broken Steel-Arte window and door from Dynamic Windows. Wood doors: Solid core wood framed doors Hardware Locksets: Omnia Pulls: Omnia Interior Finishes Cabinetwork and custom woodwork: Ikea kitchen cabinets w/ Custom Fronts Paints and stains: Benjamin Moore Raised flooring: Polished Concrete flooring at living room, stained white oak at all other locations. Special interior finishes unique to this project: Polished Concrete flooring at living room, stained white oak at all other locations. Lighting Downlights: WAC |
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