SAS Designbuild combines two facade styles for an urban Boston home
American studio SAS Designbuild has completed a family dwelling in a historic Boston neighbourhood that reads as two separate homes due to its unusual facade treatment.
![Taylor Street House by SAS Designbuild](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/05/Taylor-House-SAS-Designbuild-Boston_dezeen_936_0.jpg)
Called Taylor Street House, the 4,200-square-foot (390-square-metre) dwelling is located in Boson's South End neighbourhood, which is known for its Victorian architecture and numerous parks.
![Taylor-House-SAS-Designbuild-Boston_dezeen_936_32](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/05/Taylor-House-SAS-Designbuild-Boston_dezeen_936_32.jpg)
The urban home – built for a couple, both of whom are doctors – was conceived by SAS Designbuild, a studio cofounded by Scott Slarsky in 2011. He has since become a director at the national firm Shepley Bulfinch, which has an office in Boston.
![Taylor Street House by SAS Designbuild](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/05/Taylor-House-SAS-Designbuild-Boston_dezeen_936_8.jpg)
The three-storey dwelling – which includes a garage slightly below grade – is situated on a small, quaint street lined with brick townhouses dating to the mid-19th century. One side of the home overlooks a pocket park.
![Taylor Street House by SAS Designbuild](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/05/Taylor-House-SAS-Designbuild-Boston_dezeen_936_7.jpg)
When the project began, an original wooden home on the site, built in 1899, was largely demolished. "The facade was all that remained," Slarsky told Dezeen.
![Taylor Street House by SAS Designbuild](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/05/Taylor-House-SAS-Designbuild-Boston_dezeen_936_9.jpg)
The architect conceived a new, contemporary house for the site, but neighbours griped about the new plans, leading the architect to come up with an unusual solution.
![Taylor Street House by SAS Designbuild](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/05/Taylor-House-SAS-Designbuild-Boston_dezeen_936_2.jpg)
Slarsky and his team, including associate Christopher Wortley, conceived a single home that would read as an "historic dwelling with a contemporary neighbour".
![Taylor Street House by SAS Designbuild](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/05/Taylor-House-SAS-Designbuild-Boston_dezeen_936_12.jpg)
For the historic portion, they preserved the original wood facade, complete with a Victorian-style door.
![Taylor Street House by SAS Designbuild](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/05/Taylor-House-SAS-Designbuild-Boston_dezeen_936_16.jpg)
The modern half is clad in mahogany louvers, which are layered over a glass curtain wall. The shade screen provides privacy while also enabling natural light to enter the home.
![Taylor-House-SAS-Designbuild-Boston_dezeen_936_27](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/05/Taylor-House-SAS-Designbuild-Boston_dezeen_936_27.jpg)
The team inserted a skinny room with a tall window between the two volumes, which "signifies a symbolic separation between old and new".
![Taylor-House-SAS-Designbuild-Boston_dezeen_936_38](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/05/Taylor-House-SAS-Designbuild-Boston_dezeen_936_38.jpg)
To further appease preservation-minded neighbours, Slarsky recessed the modern half of the home.
"The contemporary addition is set back from the facade of the original building by six feet (1.8 metres) to provide a sense of dignity and importance to the historic building," he noted.
![Taylor Street House by SAS Designbuild](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/05/Taylor-House-SAS-Designbuild-Boston_dezeen_936_1.jpg)
Inside, the addition features an open plan with exposed structural elements, such as black steel columns and beams.
![Taylor Street House by SAS Designbuild](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/05/Taylor-House-SAS-Designbuild-Boston_dezeen_936_11.jpg)
The client insisted on keeping the interior raw and austere, meaning no varnish or paint was applied to wooden walls, floors and ceilings.
![Taylor Street House by SAS Designbuild](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/05/Taylor-House-SAS-Designbuild-Boston_dezeen_936_20.jpg)
Visitors step into an entry and stair hall, which leads toward a living and dining area. The stairway is composed of wood and steel treads set between a concrete wall and black metal slats.
![Taylor Street House by SAS Designbuild](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/05/Taylor-House-SAS-Designbuild-Boston_dezeen_936_15.jpg)
The upstairs contains a master bedroom, guest room and loft.
![Taylor-House-SAS-Designbuild-Boston_dezeen_936_36](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/05/Taylor-House-SAS-Designbuild-Boston_dezeen_936_36.jpg)
The home is filled with the owners' eclectic decor, including mid-century modern chairs, colorful rugs, and contemporary artwork.
![Taylor Street House by SAS Designbuild](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/05/Taylor-House-SAS-Designbuild-Boston_dezeen_936_5.jpg)
Other residential projects in New England include a rural house by Aamodt Plumb made up of old barns and a Cambridge dwelling by Anmahian Winton clad in pale wood and dark zinc.
Photography is by Peter Vanderwarker.
Project credits:
Architect: SAS Designbuild
Team: Scott Slarsky and Christopher Wortley, lead designers; Maryann Upton, conceptual planning
Architect of record: Alan Christ
Interior designer: Scott Slarsky, Sara Dinoto
Engineer: Structures Workshop Inc, Erik Anders Nelson and Eric Donahoe
Lighting: Sladen Feinstein Integrated
General contractor: The Holland Companies; Timothy McGowan, project manager