Carnegie Residence

Situated within a dense line of rowhomes in Pittsburgh’s Upper Lawrenceville neighborhood, the Carnegie Residence was a complete renovation of a 13-foot-wide traditional rowhome into a modern, light-filled efficient residence. The overall design priority was to create open space, while maximizing natural daylight to the narrow house.

The design for the 1,570 square foot home maximized the original building footprint. An open and airy living, dining, and kitchen space was created on the first floor by removing nearly all the existing interior walls. A dilapidated rear addition was replaced with a narrow rectangular rear volume to the existing brick rowhouse. A new custom central staircase was introduced as a vertical focal point extending from the basement to the top floor. A new skylight above the open steel, glass, and white oak staircase allows natural light to flood down from the roof skylight to the basement below.

The natural topography of the site allowed for the addition of a terraced garden and parking area at the rear of the house. The garden creates an extension to the open first floor kitchen, which is emphasized by the kitchen’s 48” square floor tiles aligning with the patio’s concrete joints. The garden addition provides privacy and an urban oasis within the congested city landscape.

The front façade was carefully repaired, exposing the original brick and restoring the wood porch and cornice trim. The rear addition was reimagined as a modern 2-story volume complimenting the original brick house and allowing for a deck off the third floor bedroom. The exterior material palette utilizes concrete and metal siding, along with finished black and grey cedar. Glass and frosted polycarbonate guardrails were incorporated into the front and back façades, subtly introducing modern elements to the traditional front.