Collection by Jami Smith

Tightly Squeezed Modern Architecture

When space is an issue building up is a solution few designers dare to do. Here are 7 homes that successfully solve spatial challenges of city living by expanding upwards.

The striking black facade of Pieter Weijnen's home in IJburg, Amsterdam, is the result of the Japanese practice of charring wood. Weijnen, an architect at the Amsterdam firm Faro, first discovered charred wood through the work of Terunobu Fujimori and later traveled to the Japanese island of Naoshima to observe the traditional technique. Photo by Hans Peter Follmi.
The striking black facade of Pieter Weijnen's home in IJburg, Amsterdam, is the result of the Japanese practice of charring wood. Weijnen, an architect at the Amsterdam firm Faro, first discovered charred wood through the work of Terunobu Fujimori and later traveled to the Japanese island of Naoshima to observe the traditional technique. Photo by Hans Peter Follmi.
The rear facade, like the top-floor addition, is faced in rectangular panels of black rainscreen Richlite over exterior mineral wool insulation.
The rear facade, like the top-floor addition, is faced in rectangular panels of black rainscreen Richlite over exterior mineral wool insulation.
On an eight-foot-wide site in London, architect Luke Tozer cleverly squeezed in 

a four-story home equipped with rain-water-harvesting and geothermal systems.
On an eight-foot-wide site in London, architect Luke Tozer cleverly squeezed in a four-story home equipped with rain-water-harvesting and geothermal systems.
Though the couple’s house is much younger than its immediate neighbors, it manages to fit right in—adding to, rather than detracting from, the neighborhood’s historic character.
Though the couple’s house is much younger than its immediate neighbors, it manages to fit right in—adding to, rather than detracting from, the neighborhood’s historic character.
The house’s 38-foot-high rear wall conceals the two-story stair.
The house’s 38-foot-high rear wall conceals the two-story stair.
Home Renovation Tip: Get an Understanding of What’s Already Around
Home Renovation Tip: Get an Understanding of What’s Already Around