House Etch, Chicago Home, Illinois Real Estate, USA Architecture and Interior, Photos
House Etch in Lakeview, Chicago
Nov 12, 2020
House Etch
Architects: Studio Dwell Architects
Location: Lakeview, Chicago, Illinois, USA

House Etch is a private home for an active family located in the Lakeview neighborhood in Chicago. They were looking for a home with a simple yet strong material palette, a place that encouraged active lifestyles and a home that provided an abundance of natural light while still ensuring privacy.

In response to their desires, the exterior was comprised of two materials; board formed concrete and stained western cedar. The concrete which forms the base of the house defines the public spaces, while the stained western cedar upper volume defines the private spaces along with other accents of the house.
The two materials have a surface relationship to each other. The wood boards that form the surface for the concrete, leave an etched tracing of the wood, while the exposed cedar displays the true material itself.

In resolving the natural light, the first step was to determine the views, what needed to be controlled and what could allow for glimpses both inside and out.

The solution was to create a ribbon of windows, tight to the first floor ceiling that expanded downward in the public floor and upward in the private floor throughout the house. Not only did this help define the exterior material volumes, but it allowed the ability to control views, while ...