Breeze House by Cipriani Studios

Breeze House is a new urban infill home in the heart of Lawrenceville. The creative concept was to create a home that was both private but also open in a festive way. A recessed entry enhanced with planters allows the lower levels to feel more private. On the upper level, a covered roof deck and entertainment area open the home up to the city.

The design challenge was to place a relatively large home onto a narrow parcel with smaller traditional homes flanking it. The solution was to cut the formal language down into smaller pieces that complimented the neighbors on the lower levels and floated above them on the roof deck level.

The home is laid out family style. Common areas are on the ground level and open onto a rear yard and detached garage accessed from a rear alley. Bedrooms are located on level two, and the top level is an entertainment space and covered patio, along with a guest bedroom.

The Breeze House is a great example of using cantilvering and advanced wood framing to achieve and control architectural intent. The floating white second-level box form allows the house to anchor itself as a two-story mass. Extending the roof off the recessed darker stone column on the upper level allows the white roof to float above and frame the more delicate traditional neighbors.