TREAT ARTIST STUDIO
San Diego, CA

 

The  project is a detached 1200 sq. ft. artist studio/garage behind an existing 600 sq. ft. Mission-style home sited on a canyon with north/east views in Normal
Heights, an older neighborhood of San Diego.  The existing house
acts as an entryway to a courtyard which takes on the character of a central living space, as the new structure delineates the back yard and links the house to the studio.

At the street facade, the studio is
22 feet in height;  a rectangular shape that in composition
references the massing and the stucco finish of the existing house. 
It is interrupted by an angular clerestory window that begins to peel away the stucco at the corner, exposing the stud and glass construction underneath,
introducing the clerestory system utilized throughout, which
addresses the artists' need for natural light from the north and
east.  At the interior, the wood framing remains exposed.

A tower, surfaced with corrugated metal, becomes a playful element
as it rotates outward to encompass
a view of the canyon;  providing
both a work space with desk and a command post for an outdoor
model railroad, a hobby of the clients'.

At the exterior the house and studio become a 3-dimensional canvas.  The courtyard walls of the house
and studio become elements of this canvas as each surface receives a selected blanket of color, inspired
by the clients' own artistic expressions involving large expanses of canvas.