American firm In Situ Studio has completed a compact, L-shaped family dwelling that makes the most of a challenging suburban site.
The Medlin Residence is situated on a suburban property in Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina. The clients requested a four-bedroom home with generous public spaces and a connection to the outdoors.

The relatively narrow, linear lot had several constraints. The north end slopes down toward a street and is traversed by a stream, making the area a floodplain. Due to these conditions, no construction could occur in the front half of the property.
Opportunities were also limited in the back portion, which has an extreme slope at the south end. "Our response to these constraints was a compact, two-storey 'L' that creates a private outdoor space between the house and the hillside," said local firm In Situ Studio. Photo by Richard Leo Johnson, Atlantic Archives
Concrete was used for the home's foundation and retaining walls, while wood was used for the framing. Steel was deployed in a handful of areas to achieve large spans.
Facades are wrapped in white stucco, dark metal and warm-coloured wood and are punctuated with various sized windows.
Photo by Richard Leo Johnson, Atlantic Archives
"Windows are a mix of storefront and aluminium-clad wood residential frames, with storefront utilised to achieve odd geometries and larger openings," the architects said.
For the street-facing elevation, the team created visual interest by inco...