Janet Bloomberg’s addition to her own Hammond Woods residence takes its cues from the house’s original architect, Charles Goodman. Between 1949 and 1951, he developed 58 Midcentury Modern homes on the wooded, rolling terrain of this Washington, D.C., suburb. The addition’s form reflects the house’s roof pitch and rectangular footprint, though she split them apart to allow for clerestories in each room—the better to view the tree canopy—and angled them to accommodate the oddly shaped lot.
Set a half-level up from the main house along the natural slope, the twin shed-roofed volumes flank a lower-ceilinged glass walkway that connects them lightly to the house.
“I wanted to make clear what was existing and what was new,” Janet says. “We wanted to do a KUBE house, not a Goodman knockoff.”
One volume houses a bath, laundry, and den with a porch, while the other holds a kids’ lounge, second bath, and study. Metal roofing wraps down the side walls, draining rainwater to gravel troughs and eliminating the need for a gutter system. Exposed framing, clerestories, and the glass end wall in each space pay homage to Goodman’s work.
What Goodman may not have considered was designing for the future. Here a separate entrance and sliding walls on the central portion allow for the possibility of an accessory dwelling. The connector’s green roof, too, is a contemporary gesture—and a focal point from the addition. The two moderns sit side by side, gazing into the landscape.
Renovation
Citation
KUBE Architecture
Dual Modern
Kensington, Maryland
Project Credits
Architect: Janet Bloomberg, FAIA, principal in charge; Matthias Arauco-Shapiro and Matthew Dougherty, associate designers, KUBE Architecture, Washington
Builder: ThinkMakeBuild, Annapolis, Maryland (shell); R Construction, Silver Spring, Maryland (interior)
Landscape Architect: Campion Hruby Landscape Architecture, Annapolis
Custom Work: Metal Specialties, Louisa, Virginia; Mersoa Woodwork & Design, Rockville, Maryland; Gaithersburg Glass, Gaithersburg, Maryland
Project Size: 1,200 square feet
Site Size: .30 acre
Construction cost: Withheld
Photography: Anice Hoachlander Photography and Julia Heine Photography
Key Products
Cladding: Viroc
Doors: Loewen, Windsor
Faucets: Lacava, Hansgrohe
Insulation/Housewrap: ZIP System
Lighting: Flos, Artemide, Foscarini, Bruck, Buschfeld
Lighting Control: Lutron
Paints/Stains: Benjamin Moore
Passage Doors/Door Hardware: Mockett
Sinks: Badeloft
Toilets: Lacava
Windows: Windsor, Western Window Systems
Images
Plans and Drawings
