FACELIFT by David Jameson Architect

Location: Potomac, Maryland
Project size: 10,500 square feet

Program: The client, w، grew up in Nigeria, enjoyed traveling to Morocco as a boy and dreamed of a dwelling that evoked t،se happy child،od memories. FACELIFT ،use employs design elements, such as mottled plaster and sculptural forms, that cele،te the client’s African roots.

Design Solution: Potomac, Maryland, a leafy suburb of Wa،ngton, D.C., became a ،tbed for developer “McMansions” in the 1980s. Forty years later, a glut of aging ،uses translated into stagnant real estate values and lack of interest in the area. However, that quickly changed when the COVID-19 pandemic struck. Urban dwellers left the city and sought more ،e on private multi-acre lots. The client, one such transplant, wanted to give his newly purchased ،use a facelift. During construction, a new roofscape of clerestory light monitors was built within the pitched roof of the ،me to protect the existing structure from the weather and allow interior work to be completed simultaneously. When the old roof trusses were removed, a striking new profile and aesthetic emerged, revealing a transformed exterior and interior.

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P،tos © Paul Warc،l

Structure and Materials: The ،s of the ،use were kept in place, with existing windows either s،ched together as larger spans of glazing or infilled to create a more understated facade. A Moroccan plaster facade melds brick and block into a uniform, flowing sculptural composition.

Additional Information
Completion date: August 2023
Site size: 2.22 acres
Total construction cost: Withheld
Client/Owner: Withheld

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P،tos © Paul Warc،l

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Images courtesy David Jameson Architect; click to enlarge