House for a Narrow Lot

Designed to fit a non-standard lot owned by the City of Minneapolis, this house was developed for a small family looking to maintain an urban lifestyle in an affordably constructed modern home. The building enclosure was designed as a monolithic mass of agricultural grade metal panel - simultaneously referencing the simple four-square homes of the surrounding neighborhood and the abstract formal volumes of agrarian utility structures.

Given a site narrower than the typical city lot, a variance was necessary to build on the property. Instead of pursuing a variance to reduce required side-yard setbacks, we proposed a variance to develop a 20 foot wide house as a precedent for this and other similar narrow lot sites. With open floor plans and spaces which serve multiple purposes such as a corridor/office on the second floor and a dining room/study on the main level, efficient spaces create a variety of living areas in a modest amount of square foot area.

With prime views of a Mississippi River Bluff edge park across the street from the front yard, an open floor plan was developed connecting the interior living spaces to both the front of the house and the backyard, extending the living spaces in both directions. The sense of continuity between front and back is heightened by such elements as a floating fireplace at the center of the living area, and translucent cabinets hung on the back window wall of the kitchen.