The Pleasant Plains wareHOUSE + STUDIO was originally a development project to redesign and convert a vacant warehouse in Washington DC’s Pleasant Plains neighborhood - near Howard University. Jones had the opportunity to buy the warehouse from the then developer, presenting him to unique opportunity to build the home of his dreams his family. The only constraint facing Jones was that, due to the BZA order to convert the dwelling from commercial to residential, the building volume had to remain the same. The main change was carving out a small design studio on the main level that would be separate from the main house but could also be connected. This was achieved by installing a 12’wide x 10’high sliding pocket door system with frosted glass that when closed still allows light to shine in from the west facing façade. Jones maintained the large, open space so that one can easily flow between the home’s dining space, living area, and kitchen. And given the incline of the alley, steps up lead to a one-car garage and powder room tucked behind the kitchen. The 14’ ceiling height on the main level made this all achievable. A dramatic, large, southern-facing window in the stairwell leads to the second level, while also flooding the first floor in natural sunlight. The second floor contains a primary suite in the west wing. The guest bedroom and the home office/bedroom are in the east wing which also has another bathroom, laundry/utility room and wet bar. There is also a second-floor roof terrace that connects the two wings and provides a semiprivate outdoor space. Stairs on the second-floor terrace lead to the upper roof deck which has space for entertainment over the east wing and solar panels over the west wing, which helps offset the cost of electric for this 100-percent fossil fuel free home. In addition, a green roof runs the roof terrace’s 60+ foot length. The building’s exterior was kept simple. Existing brick was repaired and painted. A new entrance was “sculpted” in corten steel, and the upper level was wrapped in corrugated metal panels.