ajeb

A 1 bedroom 1 bathroom cottage; designed to enrich quality of life through light, form, posture, and material expression; an experimental overture to improved energy efficiency and economy approached via all-electric systems, a thoughtful and assertive insulation strategy, and a rapidly renewable flooring selection. The cladding and roofing are a singular material application geared toward low maintenance and the development of a rich patina over time. This home is raised high to allow for shaded/ rain-protected parking and lifestyle patio use underneath. Interior materials have been selected for warmth and durability. Layout has been warmly-received and appreciated by prospective tenants during a very short initial offering. The next project intends to iterate on this initial success story. We would be happy to construct a variant on your site in New Orleans, and warmly welcome your inquiry.

The Architect’s primary dwelling; originally purchased in 2019. As the family grew to include 3 children and a mother-in-law, the benefit of additional space became very clear. A careful examination of early childhood experience, deep-seated memory, and exuberant aspirations would inform the design. Niches and cubbies, spaces in which to grow and play, outdoor versatility, economy through creative upcycling of a range of materials, owner suite privacy, a great kitchen, overall utility, rewilding of the yard and garden. These ideas-at-work would then inform the development of future projects; offering similarly grounded and expanded qualities to clients and prospective tenants. The architect intends to aggressively design to enhance the lived spatial expressions of family, work, play and local area ecologies in whatever locale the building shall be situated. Your home will be infused with the same energies; call us.

COMING SOON

This project consisted of architectural design from conceptual schematics through design development, permitting, and construction-ready documents. The home is located in the Bywater Historic District, therefore it was necessary to present the design proposal to the HDLC for review and approval. The project required extensive repairs to sills, siding, and framing that had suffered from long-deferred maintenance. The client sought to introduce wonderful exotic materials and pieces to the space while seeking a re-imagined plan bringing to life an expansive interior feel. The existing bathrooms and kitchen were entirely gutted and the layout of the rooms was significantly improved upon. New historic reproduction wood sash windows were commissioned in order to maintain historicity. This project tested capacities of AJEB CONSTRUCTS to rapidly and efficiently adapt to evolving constraints; to allow for a client experience of careful material selections and liberties to make in-situ determinations of outcome from a possible range. Custom designed hand-crafted cabinetry was designed for the project, tiles and select appliances were imported, and fixtures were client-specified. This project established a new benchmark for AJEB CONSTRUCTS, and client service moving forward.

The architect’s first commissioned project after initial licensure. The client sought to replace an aged screened porch with something climate-controlled and cozy; a “Catio.” Working through notional ideations through hand sketch and marker, the architect advanced the concept while sitting alongside the client at their kitchen counter. A rooftop deck was proposed to further shade and protect the interior space; to multiply the utility and qualitative potentiality; to offer glimpses of downtown New Orleans. This project required that the architect obtain a contractor license in order to better execute construction within the myriad constraints of the COVID era. The truths of that time ultimately allowed the architect-builder to refine and control craft, while offering the client a highly nuanced and responsive relationship through which to realize the finished product. This project proved what is possible through the in-house design-build practice.

The architect, then soon-to-be, pursued this project during the depths of COVID, turning a severely imperiled backyard garage into an accessory studio with bathroom and office. It has since served as an adorable rental, guest quarters, and a temporary “home,” during a later renovation-addition to the primary dwelling. This studio has been the lynch-pin to facilitate many “next-steps” in the architect’s design-build trajectory.

These images illustrate commissioned works and collaborative production having taken place largely pre-licensure. Other post-university works, not shown, extend as far back as 2010. The architect spent many years developing the necessary skills to take residential projects, including the making of furniture pieces, from ideation and conceptual development through to constructed reality.

Pages straight from the architect’s working notes. Notions are hypothesized; given the moment and the space to be considered. Ideas are enriched with nuance, massaged by contextual information and emerging data while being processed by pencil on paper.

2019 Commission to design and build new roof over existing deck. Critical considerations: tying into existing structure; maintaining look of integration between old and new; shedding large area of rain catchment.