Farm to Shelter BLDUS uses natural materials to foster healthy living in a Washington, D.C. alley house By Kelly Pau • April 21, 2025 • East, Interiors (Ty Cole) SHARE Alleyways hold historical significance for housing in Washington, D.C. After the Civil War, alleys provided safe houses for freed enslaved people as well as housing for those with lower income. By the 1890s, Black communities turned the alleys into their own tightknit support system. However, the introduction of cars (which converted alleys to parking lots) and increasing activism against what was perceived as poor, slum neighborhoods led to many of these residences being demolished by the Alley Dwelling Authority in the 1930s and ‘40s. Now, with rising housing shortages in the capital, alleys are an opportunity to add much-needed residential relief. In an alley in Capital Hill, local firm BLDUS contributes to this mission with a natural, meaningful home, Brown House. Led by Jack Becker and Andrew Linn, BLDUS is practice grounded in what the firm calls a “farm-to-shelter” ethos. In other words, local natural materials are united with vernacular, contextual buildings to foster connectedness. The same principles guide Brown House. The 2-story, 1,600-square-foot residence is clad in black locust wood slats, cork, and bamboo structural walls insulated with hemp. The material palette, aptly all brown and beige colors, creates an array of grids and rectilinear lines of slats when viewed from one side. Read more on aninteriormag.com. Washington D.C.