Wrightstown Residence

Project Details

Project Description

The Fullam Residence, located in Newtown, PA, was an anomaly in the Paul Rudolph portfolio. While it appeared in his chronology of projects, it was originally uncertain if the Fullam Residence was ever built. The original commission requested anonymity, which was honored by Rudolph. The house, sketches and plans were never published during Rudolph’s life, other than in one photograph where the sketch appears discretely on a drafting table with a proud Paul Rudolph hovering in front of it. The residence was “discovered” in 2007 when the aging owners contacted the Rudolph Foundation concerned that many of Rudolph’s projects were being demolished and seeking advice on how to conserve the home. The Foundation was not aware of the residence and photographer Chris Mottalini was the first to publish photographs of the home when he visited with the Foundation. Paul Rudolph conceived the Fullam Residence in 1957 and sketched an initial concept, but it was more ambitious than what was finally built in 1958/59. Although the three bedroom, two bathroom residence that was subsequently designed was true to the original sketch by illustrating strong Rudolph design elements, a partial execution was built. Two out of the three bays of the original sketch were constructed with the intention, (as marked on the drawings), that the home could be expanded on either side while maintaining the original design objective. Fast-forward to 2014 when our architecture firm was commissioned by the new owner to design an addition to the iconic home. We knew that whatever we proposed should complement and honor the integrity of Rudolph’s original design. With our client, we reimagined the residence as was originally intended by Paul Rudolph, based on the original sketches, and executed a design for how our clients live. Throughout the construction process, there were many challenges that were presented. Since the original residence relies on the concept of massing, specifically with heavy vs. light, the stone masonry and large glass window expanses had to match with careful execution. Our firm worked closely with the builder to ensure a seamless transition between new and old. Not only did the new stone size and color have to be identical to the existing structure, but the unique pattern was to be replicated as well. It was identified that the stone walls had repeating patterns, only visible after carefully studying the stone. It was this careful attention to detail that made the new Pennsylvania fieldstone appear that it came from the same lot as the existing home. Atop the new flanking stone wall, the solid mass of the undulating roof extending from the existing roof appears to float above the trapezoidal windows. This roof configuration, part of Rudolph's original creation, allows the winter sun to penetrate into the space, passively heating the massive stone walls, while also providing shade from the warm summer sun. Careful research by our client, who is an aficionado of Rudolph's work, led him to find a custom window company in Europe that specializes in passive solar and who was able to create custom triple pane windows to match the existing. Also adding to effectiveness of the glazing, all the existing northern windows were replaced with matching triple pane windows. In an effort to amplify energy economies where possible, all lighting in the house was also converted to LED while keeping with the style of the existing light fixtures. Our firm additionally used spray foam insulation in the new construction to maximize the building’s energy performance. These modifications, along with others, made the structure exceptionally energy efficient. While this project presented many challenges to preserve the original design integrity, it was nevertheless a project we thoroughly enjoyed. We are honored to have been able to complete a historically sensitive addition on a home designed by one of America's most iconic modern architects.