SAMFORD SOLAR ADDITION / RENOVATION
Auburn, AL (1986)

This project is a dramatic transformation of a small run-down depression era “farmhouse” into a contemporary bungalow. The existing wood-frame dwelling was analyzed for its structural and spatial order. The main front wall was then opened to the south with spaces added that can be both heated and cooled passively. Essentially, the addition is a complementary building attachment forming expanded living space behind a thick masonry hearth (heat sink) while establishing a sun “porch” capable of admitting sun in the winter yet shading, ventilating and buffering the house in the summer. The formal and material vocabulary was derived from aspects of the existing house and from rural agrarian tradition. The grounds are to be developed over time by building small supplemental structures and landscaping to form a private “complex” yet establishing a fenced edge that aligns with the setback of the more recent houses now lining the avenue.
Buildings, like people, can be revitalized...acquiring and developing “character” only over time.
John Lucas Architect