The owners of a traditional colonial in Montgomery County, MD, interviewed many architects in their quest to find the right one for their rear room expansion. They told each architect three things: they entertain a lot; if a wall was removed, they could seat more people; and where they watch the sun set. During this exercise with Dean Brenneman, founding partner of Brenneman & Pagenstecher Architects & Master Builders, the owner says, “Dean stood for a second and said, ‘so you want a tree house.’ He had a vision of what it could be and it is exactly what he envisioned.”
“The owners purely wanted to create a wonderful space,” Brenneman says. “They were looking for something with an artistic underpinning. That’s the beginning of great architecture.” The owners were also looking for a natural extension of the house that didn’t clash with the home’s colonial style. They wanted a room that “engaged the landscape, that reached out into the landscape in some form,” the architect says. To do that, he had to blur the lines between the existing traditional rooms and the new contemporary space without compromising the integrity of the home.
“Our original intent was to incorporate the porch into the rest of the house,” the owner says. She and her husband had never attempted a renovation before and were uncertain about the amount of work it would take, but they knew the house had potential and they loved the home and the setting. When Brenneman presented his drawings for the extension to the owners, they were astounded. “We were blown away by the thought he put into the existing structure of the house,” the owner says, “and the attention he put into blending the two and making the new space look like it absolutely belonged there.”
The Artistry of Architecture
Brenneman & Pagenstecher takes a team approach to design. To get things moving at this home, Brenneman worked with project architect Michael Ullrich to establish a traditional facade facing adjoining neighbors’ homes and to incorporate a round room that bursts out towards the park in the rear. “The concept was almost instantaneous,” Brenneman says, but it took months to refine. “It was a give and take,” the owner adds.
“We conceive and execute high concept architecture in a way that brings peace of mind to our clients,” the architect says. By creating virtual reality computer models, one can “get inside” the space, walk around, and see it furnished. The 3-D models allow architect and owners to visualize the smallest details, such as vertical reveals on columns and horizontal lines of trim working in concert with the rest of the room’s elements. “An architect sculpts with light and form and leads the eye through space as a conductor leads an orchestra,” Brenneman says. “It’s critical that the client joins in the music.”
Sweet Ending
Using high efficiency systems, recycled materials, and engineered lumber, Brenneman & Pagenstecher has focused on sustainable design for a number of years. “We have been inherently green for so long,” Brenneman says, that the public awareness and requests for it now “vindicate us pushing for it.” “I enjoy that the new space is of the house, but not subservient to it,” Brenneman says. “Together we’ve made a bold personal, artistic statement, yet the effect is unifying – at once healing the house and propelling it forward.” “The space is stunning,” the owner adds. “The round room functions for us like it was supposed to. It’s more gorgeous, in a moody way, than I expected.” “When you stand in the center of a round room, there’s a sweet spot acoustically,” Brenneman says. “Everything is crystal clear.” Sitting in the center of the room with the clients, raising a glass, and listening for the sweet spot was Brenneman’s greatest reward.
The architect adds, “This design cradles and protects, yet carries its occupants forth into the landscape. For me, that’s magic.”
