A fire struck this Bethesda family home and destroyed all but a very small portion several years ago. The main wing, housing the home office and bedrooms, suffered moderate damage, but the rest of the house burned down to the foundations. Within the boundary of the existing footprint, Shinberg Levinas reused some of the original framing elements to create a modern retreat that is custom tailored to the Sherman family’s life.

Programmatically, the Shermans requested distinct zones in the house: office, master bedroom, and children’s bedrooms. A three story window and atrium connect the new and existing volumes of the house, and the uppermost level’s bridge floats gracefully between the bedroom zones. The informal living room, along with the kitchen and breakfast areas, would serve as the hub of the house. This space has soaring custom glass doors that open out to the deck for a stunning view of the forest behind the house. This theme of visual connections to the landscape is continued through the entire spine of the residence.