Architect Kai Tong, with Hopkins & Porter in Potomac, Md., said that “the porch is doing exactly what the owners want it to: It embraces their backyard, is functionally connected to what happens inside the house, and it gives them good access through two different locations for landscaping tasks.”
The judges were charmed, admitting that none had ever seen a design like this. It's a “perfect solution; it's not awkward, there is great craftsmanship, and the concept is spectacular,” they said.
Tong developed a semicircular screened porch with varying roof planes to control rain runoff. The water cascades from one plane to another, eventually falling to the ground into a “streambed” lined with river rock. One section of the roof tilts upward to capture views of sky and treetops; another roof plane tilts down so those inside can focus on other backyard features.
“It looks great from the inside out,” said one judge. “I'd put in a heated floor and live there.”
Category: Design/build, under $100,000
Location: Bethesda, Md.
Contractor: Hopkins & Porter, Potomac, Md.
Designer: Kai Tong, Hopkins & Porter