Dissonance

The misalignments between African and European influences in the African American culture appears really clearly in music. The same dissonance can also be found in architecture, between the pre-existing European housing typologies spread all over the US and what could be called « black space ». The objective of this project is thus to highlight and claim this dissonance through the renovation of the American Foursquare typology by creating new experimentation spaces for black culture to be expressed.

The project is made of a double dissonance that reinforces the idea of the hidden meaning and double entendre of African American Culture that appears clearly in music :
– From the outside, the dissonance appears on the additional third floor, that looks like it slid from the existing house to push the roof and extend the interior space.
– But from the inside, the dissonance is created by the new use of the front space of the house.