Abbey Duplex
Mass and Void
Emerging from a dialogue between mass and void, material and landscape, this residence explores the spatial tension between enclosure and openness. Conceived as a composition of interlocking volumes, the project balances tectonic rigor with experiential fluidity. The architecture privileges the tactile and the constructed—layered in natural stone, weathered steel panels, and soft vegetation—to articulate a grounded yet contemporary domestic environment.
Project Type: 2 Family Residential
Location: Cleveland, OH
Gross Floor Area: 3,500SF
Budget: $1,400,000 SF
Movement through thresholds
The home is organized as a series of stratified spaces that mediate between public and private realms. The ground level, defined by stone walls punctuated with circular apertures, establishes a porous base that invites filtered light and framed views. Above, cantilevered timber-clad forms project outward, generating shade, compression, and release. A suspended bridge connects the primary living volumes, choreographing movement through a sequence of thresholds and courts that encourage both retreat and exchange.
Material
Material expression is central to the project’s conceptual foundation. The rust-hued cladding evokes a temporal quality, designed to patinate with the passing seasons, while the stone plinth anchors the composition within its site. Vegetation is interwoven throughout—bamboo screens, climbing vines, and planted walls blur the boundary between architecture and landscape, creating a living facade that softens the building’s precision.
Technical clarity
Every junction is resolved with technical clarity: recessed glazing, concealed drainage, and meticulously detailed transitions between materials underscore the firm’s commitment to craft. The result is an architecture of permanence and adaptability—one that privileges both theoretical depth and constructional excellence.
Light and Air
This home is not a static object but a system of spatial relationships—responsive to light, air, and occupation—embodying a poetics of construction that celebrates the intersection of nature, material, and inhabitation.
