PARKER STUDIO
PASADENA, CA
Locating a fine-art photographer’s new darkroom/gallery behind her existing house—a diluted Greene & Greene style bungalow—presents an interesting contextual challenge. By expressing the new studio’s “craft,” a sympathetic relationship to the existing house is created without resorting to simple mimicry.
The project is conceived as a box with a lining—akin to a photographer’s equipment crate.
Un-syncopated “layers” of framing and sheathing invert visibility around the building depending on function: seismic bracing, protection from the elements, or vertical load resistance. Drywall “lines” the interior and is out-of-register with the fenestration, celebrating its own independence.
PROJECT TEAM
John R. Byram, Architect
Peter Tolkin, Associated Designer
Harout Soghomonian, Structural Engineer
Roman Janczak Construction, General Contractor