A on D RESIDENCE
Taking the architectural cliche of the A-Frame, A on D challenges iconic house types. Working closely with a client interested in challenging convention, the design process began by asking: How do we “de-A” the A-frame? How can we retain its spatial drama and recognizable silhouette, while breaking it open formally, programmatically, and contextually?
Sited on a sloping lot, A on D anchors the structure in the landscape through a cast-in-place concrete plinth. This base houses the primary suite and all utility infrastructure, allowing the house to be entered at grade while concealing a fully embedded lower level.
The architectural massing plays with the logic of the A-frame by maintaining its pitched symmetry, but inserting rational volumes within it that negotiate the residual geometry of the triangular shell. These internal figures create orthogonal, inhabitable zones carved from the otherwise awkward wedge-shaped voids that traditional A-frames often neglect.
From the street, The form reads as a solid concrete mass, with two voids carved at the corners for void-like windows. The concrete extends upward elevation to form a figural stair tower, a vertical counterpoint to the A-frame’s angular horizontality. This tower punctures the roofline, legibly expressing circulation and creating additional usable volume within the upper floors.
The street-facing facade is intentionally opaque, acting as a protective mask, while the rear elevation opens completely with expansive glazing. This back façade frames the view and floods the interior with natural light, flipping the usual relationship between public and private fronts.
A on D RESIDENCE
YEAR 2021
BENTONVILLE, ARKANSAS
Photos by Cole Reeves
Construction by Cole Reeves
Glass by Bentonville Glass
Structure and finish remain honest: exposed rafters articulate the rhythm of the form, while the interplay between concrete, wood, and glass provides both contrast and continuity. The result is a reinterpretation, not a rejection, of the A-frame. It is a typological remix, where the iconic becomes elastic, and cliché gives way to invention.