Clinton Hill Townhouse

Brooklyn, New York
2024

The existing townhouse was modest in scale. Design conversations focused on revealing the building’s history while also creating markers of the present—the creation of a balanced and cohesive collage. The scale of spaces, materiality, and circulation patterns were influenced by existing elements, allowing for new and old to work in tandem. New details crafted from reclaimed ash and stainless-steel compliment restored plaster moldings and wood casing profiles. The ash, sourced from discarded barn beams, is being used for flooring, millwork, windows, and the stairs. Two straight-run stairs are stacked one on top of another, allowing for views through the building as well as daylight from two skylights above to reach the treads. At the uppermost level the stairs terminate into a wood-clad room and connect to a roof terrace.

Reclaimed ash barn beams were transformed into flooring, millwork, windows, stair parts, and wall cladding. The wood was selected for its warm neutral color and its unique character. In addition to nails, a lead shot was found within the beams at the time of sawing.

A new rooftop addition was clad in Freedom Gray—tin-zinc coated copper—chosen for its ability to patinate. An intensive green roof was installed outside the vertical addition. Plantings were selected to create a pollinator garden. Within minutes of the garden being planted, bees and butterflies arrived.