archimania

Woodard Residence is a personal residence for a developer on an unused piece of land left from his recently completed mixed-use development. The clients sought to be tucked away from activity, but maintain views of the Mississippi River and the downtown Memphis skyline. 

This urban residence is situated within a mixed-use development between the South Main Historic Arts District and the Mississippi River bluff. The small lot was carved from a recently completed development including a re-purposed warehouse into offices and four attached townhomes. The 3,750 sf home consists of four levels – a ground floor garage/office, a second floor suite for the client’s mother and her caregiver, living and kitchen on the third, and a master suite on the fourth floor. The compact site exists between a railroad overpass to the North and an alley to the East, allowing shared vehicular access to the home. The overall massing is broken down using durable and low maintenance materials. A corten clad rectangular form rests atop a ground-face masonry base. The corten volume is further articulated with a series of large scale carves that form balconies and window openings that frame views. Planar elements clad in charcoal standing seam metal encase the circulation wing and fourth floor master suite and employ glass and charred wood infill. A large projection on the West is an external expression of the intersection between the main mass and circulation wing. Positioning the circulation wing perpendicular to the main volume maximizes the interior space, takes advantage of the triangular shaped lot and provides lateral stability for the four-story structure. This articulation of the mass mediates the various scales and materiality of the surrounding industrial context and allows the interior programmatic elements to be a clear expression on the exterior.