Text description provided by the architects. A single-family house in a newly named alley in Capitol Hill is an opportunity to elaborate upon a healthy material palette featuring black locust wood, cork cladding, hemp insulation, and bamboo structural walls. The design of the linear alley house strikes a balance between privacy and light, using balconies, a vestibule, a terrace, and a rooftop garden to mediate the site and its surrounding context. Durable black locust slats protect cork cladding, screen balconies, structure a fence, and provide fall protection on the rooftop. The exterior cork cladding is echoed by a spray cork finish on interior ceilings, while the bamboo structural panels are exposed on the interior and stained with PolyWhey, a by-product of the cheese industry. Cellulose and hemp insulation fill the hollow wall cavities and flat roofs. Copper details handle precipitation and highlight the layers of the house in Overbeck Alley.
