Parker Studio, Pasadena, California

This small building used as an art studio for a photographer is sited in the backyard of a 1920s Craftsman bungalow. We addressed the building’s Arts & Crafts context through our material choices and expressive construction details. The design is based on a layered wall system, perhaps analogous to a shipping crate, that is “ornamented” with screws in a code prescribed nailing pattern. The design also clearly distinguishes the vertical structural system of the redwood posts, the lateral structural system of the plywood shear panels, and the interior walls used to display art.