flexiblefullpage -
Currently Reading

Expansive Windows Give Suburban Home an Indoor/Outdoor Connection

Advertisement
billboard -
Design

Expansive Windows Give Suburban Home an Indoor/Outdoor Connection

This home's indoor-outdoor integration plays a role in an illinois family’s quality of life.


By By Katy Tomasulo, Contributing Editor May 12, 2020

The rectilinear forms and broad expanses of glass that define the Courtyard Residence in Downers Grove, Ill., don’t just appeal to the homeowners’ design tastes; they’re part of a functional sensibility essential to the well-being of their family.

Among the family members are two children with limited mobility, for whom the homeowners sought to create a space that would not only accommodate their needs today, but which would be ideal for them to live out their lives.

Courtyard-Residence-in-Downers-Grove-IL-with-blue-clad-window-frames

Tom Harris Architectural Photography

Along with the features one expects in a home accessible to wheelchairs, the layout itself was designed with the girls’ health in mind, ensuring ample connections to the outdoors and abundant natural light. Traditionally, the narrow lot likely would have had a two-story house with a large backyard; instead, the architect spread a single-story footprint across much of the property, with three courtyards pushing in from the sides and integrating with nearly every room via windows and doors. Clerestory windows further those connections while bringing in even more light from above.

“That was a key element—seeing out of the house,” says Scott Rappe , principal of Chicago firm Kuklinski + Rappe Architects. Rappe worked with Barker Evans Landscape Architecture, in Chicago, to choreograph the outdoor areas. “It was important that the spaces were designed to be dynamic and interesting year-round.”

Lounge-area-in-single-story-home-with-sight-lines-to-courtyard

Tom Harris Architectural Photography

As a result, light animates the rooms throughout the day. “It’s really a kaleidoscopic array of experiences that the planning of the house made possible,” Rappe explains.

He says Marvin windows topped his list because they offered an ideal balance between performance and cost, as well as narrow sight lines and high insulation values. The team used awning and casement windows from Marvin’s clad-wood Ultimate line, and sliding and swinging French doors.

Along a 60-foot-long hall, called the “cloister,” nine Marvin direct-set floor-to-ceiling windows connect the interior to the adjacent courtyard. Rappe worked with Rob Jackman, senior product manager at Searls Windows and Doors, to maximize the unit size using custom steel mullion reinforcement concealed by narrow mullion covers and frame expanders.

Open-floor-plan-with-kitchen-dining-area-and-clerestory-windows

Tom Harris Architectural Photography

To accommodate the suburban environment, Rappe says the windows’ Cascade Blue cladding color evokes a colonial vibe and a transitional modernism typical of postwar suburbs. “The cladding color, window sight lines, and depth of assemblies all provide a way of interpreting the units as both somewhat traditional and somewhat contemporary,” Rappe says . “It’s a middle ground.”

“The home really stands out in that regard—in that it’s so different from what’s around it,” Jackman says. “For something like this to come out in the suburbs was a cool thing to see.”

 60-foot-long hall, called the “cloister,” with nine Marvin direct-set floor-to-ceiling windows

Tom Harris Architectural Photography

Related Stories

Custom Builder

Floodproof on a Floodplain

An impressive addition to the IDEA Home series, the NEWLOOK Experience Home is a master class in engineering and creative design, with builder Michael Freiburger out-thinking an exceptionally tricky lot

Custom Builder

3 Questions Answered About Reliable Energy in Home Construction

Energy expert Bryan Cordill makes a case for why and how propane is an answer to growing concerns about reliability and resilience in home construction 

Business

Custom Builder to Talk Color Design with Becki Owens at IBS

At this year's IBS, renowned designer Becki Owens will sit down with host James McClister, editor of Custom Builder, to discuss a variety of topics from basic color play in design to the Allura Spectrum palette, a collection of Sherwin-Williams colors curated for the benefit of pros

Business

PERC Highlights Sustainability and Efficiency at IBS with 'Clean Build Conversations'

Hear from industry standouts Matt Blashaw and Anthony Carrino at this hour-long Show Village event

Custom Builder

Telling a Story That Preserves the Past

Custom builder and historic restoration and preservation expert Brent Hull walks us through the careful details of his Pennsylvania Farmhouse project

Business

Defining Outdoor Living in 2024

Residential experts weigh in on outdoor living trends in new report

Construction

How to Air Seal the Garage

A poorly sealed wall or ceiling between the garage and the main house can let harmful fumes into the living space

Business

Taking Advantage of Incentives Through Weatherization

Industry insider Kristen Lewis walks us through the basics and benefits of weatherization

Custom Builder

2023: A Year of Case Studies

A look back at the custom homes and craftsman details we spotlighted last year

Customer Service

A Smart Home Built Smart

Custom builder August Homes blends efficient, hi-tech home automation systems with high-performance, sustainable building strategies
 

Advertisement
boombox1 -
Advertisement
boombox2 -
Advertisement
boombox3 -
Advertisement
native1 -

More in Category

Custom Builder

Floodproof on a Floodplain

An impressive addition to the IDEA Home series, the NEWLOOK Experience Home is a master class in engineering and creative design, with builder Michael Freiburger out-thinking an exceptionally tricky lot

Custom Builder

3 Questions Answered About Reliable Energy in Home Construction

Energy expert Bryan Cordill makes a case for why and how propane is an answer to growing concerns about reliability and resilience in home construction 

boombox4 -
Business

Custom Builder to Talk Color Design with Becki Owens at IBS

At this year's IBS, renowned designer Becki Owens will sit down with host James McClister, editor of Custom Builder, to discuss a variety of topics from basic color play in design to the Allura Spectrum palette, a collection of Sherwin-Williams colors curated for the benefit of pros

Business

PERC Highlights Sustainability and Efficiency at IBS with 'Clean Build Conversations'

Hear from industry standouts Matt Blashaw and Anthony Carrino at this hour-long Show Village event

boombox4 -
Advertisement
native2 -
Advertisement
halfpage1 -