This Lakeview home located in Chicago, Illinois was designed for a couple and their three children. They wanted a home with a strong connection to the outdoors that preserved privacy in their dense urban neighborhood. Program requirements included open-plan living with space for art, master suite with deck, gym, sport court, live-work space, and a kid?s hangout room with bunks for sleepovers.

Description
To balance their objectives of privacy and abundant natural light, we designed an L-shaped structure with a shielded façade and a rear elevation defined by generous window walls facing southwest over a landscaped yard.
On the front elevation, we employed three parallel planes that step back from the street, preserving privacy while allowing light and framed views through floor-to-ceiling windows inset between the planes. Also, stepping back the façade reduced the mass of the home, proportionately scaling it for the neighborhood. The planes are clad in warm, standing seam zinc panels. The second and third planes have inset glass at the lower right corner, and the upper left corner of the third plane is clad in wood laminate. These playful details give the impression of stripping away the zinc façade to reveal the internal structure and offer hints of the home within. A garden of trees and weathered steel planters guide a path to the hidden front door.
The rear elevation is defined by beveled portals and deep overhangs, offering passive solar shadin...