Due to its scale and private use, the house’s design is particularly influenced by the relationship between envelope and site, inside and outside, and private and public—a relationship often more apparent in section than in plan or exterior elevation. With this consideration, Domestic Section investigates the history and typologies of the single-family house as seen through section, from Palladio’s villas through to the twenty-first century. The project will include an illustrated analytical inventory of representative house sections and a series of new house designs based on this analysis. This project builds on the work presented in Paul Lewis, Marc Tsurumaki, and David Lewis' previous book Manual of Section (Princeton Architectural Press, 2016). During the research, the focus of the project shifted toward the architectural consequences of plant and earth-based materials as manifested in houses from around the world. It culminated in the book Manual of Biogenic House Sections, which was published in late 2022 by ORO Editions.

David J. Lewis is a founding principal of LTL Architects and a tenured professor at Parsons School of Design. He holds the honorary position of adjunct professor of architecture at the University of Limerick, Ireland, where he is a founding member of the advisory board of the School of Architecture. He has previously served as a member of the advisory council of the College of Architecture, Art and Planning at Cornell University since 2012. Lewis has coauthored several books, including Manual of Section (2016), Intensities (2013), and Opportunistic Architecture (2008), all published by Princeton Architectural Press. He has a master’s of architecture from Princeton University, a master’s of arts in the history of architecture and urbanism from Cornell University, and a bachelor’s of arts from Carleton College.

Paul Lewis is a founding principal of LTL Architects and professor and associate dean at the Princeton University School of Architecture, where he has taught since 2000. He currently serves as president of The Architectural League of New York. He is a fellow of the American Academy in Rome. Lewis has coauthored several books, including Manual of Section (2016), Intensities (2013), and Opportunistic Architecture (2008), all published by Princeton Architectural Press. He has a bachelor’s of arts degree from Wesleyan University and a master’s of architecture degree from the Princeton University School of Architecture.

Marc Tsurumaki is a founding principal of LTL Architects, an adjunct associate professor of architecture at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation. He has served as a Trustee of the Van Alen Institute and currently serves as vice president of the Storefront for Art and Architecture. Tsurumaki has coauthored several books, including Manual of Section (2016), Intensities (2013), and Opportunistic Architecture (2008), all published by Princeton Architectural Press. He has a bachelor’s of science in architecture from the University of Virginia and a master’s of architecture degree from Princeton University.