This is the first in a series of case studies illustrating the transformation of architectural problems into property assets.
12 March 2021
The Problem
The attic of this Park Slope brownstone was a waste. The roof sloped down to a height of less than 3′. And the only windows were a string of tiny openings at the low front end, resulting in a very dark room. This ugly combination ruled out using the space for anything but storage. Though it wasn’t much good even for that, since you couldn’t stand up straight. Could design transform this problem into an asset?
The Solution
For a solution, we looked outside of the box. What if we traded this subpar interior space for an exceptional outdoor space? In other words, we ripped off the roof. This turned the front half of the attic into a roof deck. At the cut, we inserted a glass wall, to bring a flood of daylight to the rest of the top floor. Now, you have a sunny sitting room opening directly onto a private roof deck.
The Bonus
But wait, there’s more. From the new deck, we built an outdoor stair that climbs to the roof of the attic. Here, we added a second upper roof deck, to take advantage of an epic view of the Manhattan skyline.
That’s three outdoor spaces–the two decks and the exterior stair–all linked by the same bluestone paving, but each with its own character. The upper deck for spectacular views and sunbathing; the lower deck for privacy and indoor/outdoor flow.
The Resolution
You can see we kept the little windows at the front wall. This project was in a landmarked district, so preserving the historic facade was a priority. But we were pleased to get Landmarks’ blessing on the radical change to the roofscape.
COVID proved to us the critical importance of outdoor spaces. But creating additional places to be is more important now than ever. This post is the first in a series of case studies demonstrating the transformation of problems into assets. We believe good design can add value to a property well beyond the cost of construction.
