Kuklinski+Rappe House, Chicago

The objective of this renovation project was to produce a unique single family home that could respond to the changing phases of its owner's lives: single, married, child-rearing and empty-nest. The solution consists of a series of independent living spaces which can be linked to create a variety of configurations. The gabled attic apartment was planned as a series of open spaces shaped and modulated by ten new roof dormers organized symmetrically along the linear east-west axis of the building. The building's original center stair connects the building's side entrance to the attic, bypassing the first and second floor units. However, the central placement of this stair allows the connection of the owner's unit to the front and rear portion of both floors as additional space is required. The stair rises into the rear third of the open space and is delineated by a simple piperail. In the space to the east of the stair are the kitchen and dining room, sheltered by a large cross gable roof. The living room is situated in the space beyond, with a magnificent view of the skyline directly to the east.

The living room, with its roof ridge over twelve feet high, is given scale by six small shed dormers, aligned symmetrically three to a side. The bathroom is paired with a workroom under two smaller gables at the west end of the space. Originally, this workroom was the bedroom, while the living room served as an office work area. The marriage of the owners necessitated a private bedroom and more formal living space, thus making use of the flexibility of the plan. Initially, the bachelor-owner lived in the attic, paying the mortgage with the income from the two rental units. After marriage, the owners established a master bedroom in the rear portion of the second floor apartment, while the front portion of the apartment continued to be rented.

With the birth of their son Matthew, the owners took over the rest of the second floor unit for themselves.  As the family grows, and the walk to the third floor becomes less practical, the owner's unit will be reconfigured to include the first and second floors, leaving the attic space as a potential source of rental income. Finally, as the children leave home and their focus turns to simplification, the owners will relinquish the second floor living spaces to a tenant and inhabit the ground floor apartment.

Thus, the adaptation of a century old building allows it to serve as a home for life.