Improper profiles ‘Big Dig’ house in Lexington…

(Photo by Single Speed Design)

The Improper Bostonian ran a profile of the ‘Big Dig’ house in Lexington in its August 1-14 issue written by Matt Heid and photographed by Michael Piazza. The house was designed by John Hong and Jinhee Park of Single Speed Design in Cambridge, whose work embraces the concepts of sustainability and minimalism.

The house is made of 600,000 pounds of steel beams and concrete slabs that were part of the I-93 highway elevated over Boston. According to the article, the project was commissioned by Paul Pedini and Christina Perez-Pedini, civil engineers who worked on the $15 million Big Dig project.

“The goal was to create a house using recycled material from the demolished expressway that once ran through downtown. Park spent days combing through debris at sites in Everett, Lancaster, and Worcester, eventually locating the 13 concrete slabs that would form the floors and roof of the building,” writes Heid.

“She also helped select the thick steel beams required to hold up the 23,000 pound slabs…This strength means that no internal supports are required, allowing for a flexible and open floor plan inside the 3,800 square foot residence.”