Lenexa Modern

When the subject of modern green residential design arises projects in certain parts of the Kansas City metropolitan area tend to come to mind, Crossroads, West Side, Plaza West, Midtown...Lenexa? So when this homeowner described to me he and his wife's intention to not only add to their suburban Lenexa home but also to render both the new and existing construction with a modern palette of materials and attitude I was struck with a sense of both excitement and I'll admit, a momentary bit of skepticism. Upon my first visit to their home any fragments of skepticism were immediately dispelled. The first image I was presented with after walking through the front door was that of a workman dismantling the existing builder's grade stair railing and replacing it with an impeccably crafted steel cable railing. Beautifully executed family room and kitchen projects provide a sense of openness, minimalist materiality and attention to detail and the remainder of the house conveys a life affirming message of welcome and happiness through a cheerful selection of color and innovative interior design.

So, with the existing interior of the house well in hand attention then turned to expanding and renovating the exterior to complete their plans for the house. Hence the call to me. During my first visit we established the following goals for the next phase of improvement.

Second Floor

Make kids bedrooms, baths and closets equitably size.
Redistribute space in the master suite to increase dressing room area and make master bath more efficient.

First Floor

Add support spaces (mud room, work space and pantry) between garage entrance and kitchen
Increase first floor main living space

General

Redesign exterior using a modern design vocabulary
Improve interior/exterior connection at first floor and lower level
Incorporate sustainable design concepts

The second floor and the first floor living space goals were accomplished by expanding a portion of the two floors 5' and reconfiguring interior walls. The homeowners' daughters will now have similar sized bedrooms and abundant access to natural light. Space for a little to never used whirlpool tub in the master bath will be incorporated into a generously sized master dressing area. The master bath is laid out in a clean linear fashion and will be naturally illuminated be a new bay window and skylights located
at the peak of a vaulted ceiling. The natural light will be controlled by a suspended birch veneer plywood diffuser that will bounce light off vertical surface, moderate the scale and add a sculptural presence within the space.





The first floor support spaces will be consolidated into a one story addition. Space for a mudroom to accommodate up to 5 people at a time, counter space for household projects and pantry/supply storage will be incorporated into the addition. A gabled roof that matched the existing house would have been problematic due to interference with second floor windows. We were able to turn a design problem into an environmental positive by incorporating a low slope green roof over the addition that will provide insulation for the house, improve water retention on the site, reduce ambient temperatures, and improve air quality as well as other green roof benefits.

The elevated exterior deck will be relocated off the expanded living space. This will permit more natural light to reach the lower level family room space. The new elevated deck location will also be toward the high side of the sloped back yard, permitting a shorter rise stair that will not interfere with exterior views. Minimizing the number of columns required and carefully considering the location of retaining walls will provide opportunities to create comfortable and flexible outdoor spaces at ground level as well.

That leaves the exterior design to be addressed. the existing house consists of heavily textured stucco on the front elevation and vertically oriented masonite panels on the remaining 3 sides. The proposed design utilizes a hardwood siding base installed with a concealed fastener system that will extend around all four sides of the house. This puts a visually warm and rich high quality material where it will be most closely experienced. The majority of the remaining surfaces will be covered in smooth stucco with metal reveals that reinforce the contemporary design concepts being employed. Hardwood sunshades will be installed on the south elevation to provide passive cooling for the house and to distribute the use of that material to the vertical portions of the house as well.

Jan Duncan with Synergy Construction Co. is the builder for the project. He has been providing valuable input during the entire design process. I've had the good fortune to work with Jan on many projects over the years. He has always brought a high level of integrity and a dedication to quality to our past collaborations and I look forward to working with him on the construction phase of this project also.