On Hills
DC is a dream underpinned by Ancient Roman ideals. Unlike Rome and its Seven Hills, DC’s peripheral hilly ridges frame the hill, Capitol Hill. From the Potomac bluffs to hilly Penn Branch, from posh Meridian Hill to the Frederick Douglass House perched atop Cedar Hill, DC is a landscape of elusive views and unsteady soils that requires sensitive architectural responses.
Poplar Cloud
38°55'N 77°06'W
Of the trees, with the trees
Under the trees, amidst the trees
Among the trees, along the trees
About the trees, beside the trees
Against the trees, instead of the trees
River Crest
38°55'N 77°06'W
Sitting lower than its access road yet perched high above the creek below, a new house is built atop an existing 1950’s foundation to minimize site disturbance. Outdoor spaces connect the interiors to natures on all three floors.
Temple House
38°52'N 76°57'W
You rise in perfection on the horizon of the sky,
living Aten, who started life.
Whenever you are risen upon the eastern horizon,
you fill every land with your perfection.
You are appealing, great, sparkling, high over every land;
your rays hold together the lands as far as everything you have made.
– Akhenaten
Piney Ranch
38°58'N 77°01'W
A house made of sticks…
Paid close attention to all the fiddley bits…
With curtains on the windows and bamboo on the floor…
Then early one evening came a knock at the door…
Broad Branch
38°57'N 77°03'W
Too hot? Too cold? Just right.
Too dark? Too bright? Just right.
Too soft? Too loud? Just right.
Too heavy? Too light? Just right.
Ramble House
38°52'N 76°57'W
No house should ever be on a hill.
It should be of the hill. Belonging to it.
Hill and house should live together,
each the happier for the other.
– Frank Lloyd Wright
West Over
38°52'N 76°57'W
“The hidden jewel of this area is Westover Drive… which is a circular drive high on a hill that has the best unobstructed views of the city. If God were to move to the District, he would surely build on Westover Drive.”
– Ernest-Earl Wood
Washington Post 2007
Grand View
38°53'N 78°13'W
Perched above a river atop an old gravel quarry, a terraced house rises from a cement puddle.