Franzen House by Robert Gurney

Bethesda, Maryland

Architects & Firms

Location: Bethesda, Maryland

Project size: 4,542 square feet

Program: The four-story house was designed to fit into the compact site on the footprint of a pre-existing house that was razed because it was structurally unsound.

Solution: Robert Gurney designed the four-bedroom, three-bathroom house to appear to be two-stories when viewed from the street. At the rear, facing the Potomac River, the steep grade allowed the architect to add two additional floors below the main house with minimum intrusion into the wooded site.

Construction and materials: The house is anchored by two concrete end walls, extending the four-story height. Wood framed walls clad in charred Shou Sugi Ban connect the two concrete walls on the street side of the house while the rear elevation, facing southwest, is largely glass.

Additional Information
Site Size: .23 acres
Total Project Cost: Withheld
Completion Date: June 2020

Photo © Anice Hoachlander, click to enlarge.

Photo © Anice Hoachlander

Click each plan to enlarge. Courtesy Robert Gurney

Click each elevation to enlarge. Courtesy Robert Gurney

Credits

Architect:
Robert M. Gurney, FAIA, Architect
5110 ½ MacArthur Blvd, NW, Washington, DC 20016
(202) 237-0925 (ph)
http://www.robertgurneyarchitect.com/

Personnel in architect's firm who should receive special credit:
Robert M. Gurney, FAIA - Principal, Nicole de Jong - Project Architect, Sarah Mailhot Solander - Project Architect

Architect of record:
Robert M. Gurney, FAIA, Architect
5110 ½ MacArthur Blvd, NW
Washington, DC 20016
(202) 237-0925 (ph)
http://www.robertgurneyarchitect.com/

Interior designer:
Therese Baron Gurney ASID

Engineers:
United Structural Engineers

General Contractor:
Commonwealth Building and Design

Specifications

Exterior Cladding:
Rainscreen: Fiber Cement Rainscreen Cladding.
Wood: Shou Sugi Ban Siding, Nakamoto Forestry.
Moisture barrier: VaproShield, RevealShield Weather Barrier Building Wrap

Roofing:
Elastomeric: EPDM roofing membrane

Windows:
Metal frame: Western Window Systems

Glazing:
Glass: ½” low-iron, clear (for rails, shower enclosures or other)

Doors:
Entrances: Western
Wood doors: Flush Wood, Painted
Sliding doors: Flush Wood, Painted
Upswinging doors, other: Garage Doors: Clopay, Avante

Hardware:
Locksets: Baldwin
Pulls: Hafele (for millwork) Baldwin (primary doors)

Interior Finishes:
Cabinetwork and custom woodwork: Affinity Woodworking
Paints and stains: Sherwin Williams
Plastic laminate: Abet Laminati
Solid surfacing: Caesarstone
Floor and wall tile: Stone Source

Lighting:
Interior ambient lighting: Lightolier
Downlights: Lightolier
Tasklighting (under-cabinet): Sempria
Tasklighting (Surface Utility): Access
Tasklighting (Surface): Zaneen
Exterior (front): Hinkley
Exterior (rear): Stonco
Dimming system or other lighting controls:

Conveyance:
Elevators/escalators: Savaria
Accessibility provisions: Flush primary entry condition, an open floor plan and an elevator to allow for easy vertical mobility within the home.

Plumbing:
Kitchen Sink: Julien
Kitchen Faucet: Dornbracht
Vanities: Porcelanosa
Lavatory Faucets: American Standard
Shower System: American Standard
Shower Drain (Linear): Infinity Drain
Bathtub (Master): Porcelanosa
Bathtub (Secondary): Wetstyle
Toilet: Kohler