A West Town residence arrived with two mandates: correct the structural failures that had been compromising the building since its original construction in 2007 and add a third story for a growing family. The reinforcement required full-height steel x-brace systems on both facades: one concealed within the interior, one spanning the entire exterior elevation. There was no room for machinery, every component was hand-lifted and assembled from the ground up under the precise specification of the structural engineer. Working in close collaboration with the engineer and our steel fabricator, we re-engineered the original design into hand-assembled components with zero tolerance for error at each connection point.

Where structural exposure was unavoidable, we made it intentional. Custom-perforated aluminum curtain wall panels clad the north elevation — filtering light, preserving interior views, and translating an industrial necessity into a refined architectural accent that reads as deliberate as the rest of the building. The third-story addition that followed, featuring a living room, two bedrooms, one bathroom, and custom millwork throughout, were flanked by IPE deck terraces on a pedestal system and intentionally integrated with the floors below.