three formerly dark and diminutive dwellings now live large

Source: residential architect Magazine
Publication date: 2004-08-01

By Nigel F. Maynard, Meghan Drueding, and Shelley D. Hutchins

floating in light

one common drawback to apartments is that views are often unidirectional. This apartment was different. Located in New York City, it had views in three directions, including sightlines to Central Park, but it failed to fully exploit their potential. That's the principal problem the owners sought architect Louise Braverman's help to correct. “The main goal of the project was to open it up and bring in the light,” she says.

Braverman first gutted most of the interior and positioned new walls to achieve uninterrupted sightlines. “I wanted to create axial and cross-axial views to get the sense you are in a tower,” she says. Now the owners can sit in one space and see into a second or third area of the apartment. The spatial trick “makes the apartment feel expansive and gives the illusion that it is bigger than the square footage.” Sliding doors open it up even more or, when needed, sever the space into private sleeping alcoves for visitors.

Architect Louise Braverman used aluminum and satinetched glass siding doors (above, center, and far right) to control public and private spaces in this Manhattan apartment.

The apartment has an ethereal quality thanks to an abundance of windows bringing in copious daylight. The quality is underscored by a combination of strategic artificial lighting, including downlights for the clients' art collection and general purpose up-lighting. Additionally, light trays built into the ceiling further augment the illusion of ample space while also contributing architectural interest.

This was an enjoyable project, Braverman says, because the clients were open to ideas like the light trays and floating glass shelves. “These contribute to the lightness of the space,” she says. “The design makes it seem as if everything is floating.”

Large windows filter light into the living room (top right) and through the hall to the dining room and kitchen. Italian cabinetry in the kitchen and Pietra Cardoza stone countertops in the bathrooms maintain the clean lines and luxurious appeal of the design.

project:
Tower Apartment, New York City

architect:
Louise Braverman, Architect, New York City

general contractor:
T. Fox Contracting, New York City

project size:
1,900 square feet

construction cost:
Withheld

photographer:
Scott Frances

paradise loft

Translucent glass wall segments invite the flow of natural and artificial light through the once dark loft.

Before semple brown design got to it, this downtown Denver loft in a former saddle factory counted as many minuses as it did plusses. Original exposed-brick walls and cast iron–clad timber pillars defined its 1,530 square feet of space, giving it the lived-in patina that makes lofts such a hot property type. But it only received sunlight from the north side of the building and contained little separation between its public and private spaces.

With the blessings of their Vail, Colo., clients, who use the loft as their city residence, project architect Dave Robb and his colleagues Kristen Sidell, Chris Craver, and Megan Hudacky engineered a transformational makeover. They divided the bedroom and bath corridor from the rest of the project with a series of translucent glass panels and sliding MDF doors. They also added a dropped, white-painted ceiling to the eastern half of the unit, hiding a new air conditioning system and providing a reflective surface for natural and artificial light.

Bright yellow plastic laminate cabinetry, another light-enhancer, lines the dining room and kitchen. And Robb's experience in retail design helped him devise the back-lit, translucent-glass-and-aluminum shelving that illuminates both rooms. Other thoughtful touches crop up throughout the loft. In the entry, built-in storage cupboards and a compact bar area lend clarity to a previously featureless vestibule. A sliding door in the master bath can be closed to make an independent half bath for the privacy of family or friends staying in the den/guest bedroom. Every new move the architects made, though, balances an old element they left in place. “The idea was to create a new skin inside the rough space, mixing the old vocabulary with crisp materials,” says Robb.

project:
Arnold Loft, Denver

architect/interior designer:
Semple Brown Design, Denver

Semple Brown left alone existing features such as original double-hung windows, exposed brick walls, and cast iron–covered pillars, keeping the project's rough-edged charm intact.

general contractor:
Cherry Hills Home Improvement, Denver

project size:
1,530 square feet

construction cost:
$92 per square foot

photographer:
Ron Pollard, except where noted

capital improvement

Congress avenue in Austin, Texas, leads directly to the towering pink state capitol dome. Lining the shady thoroughfare are a series of mid-19th century storefronts, ripe for live/work renovation. Seizing the opportunity, one owner approached architect Hobson Crow to design a bright and airy townhouse with retail space on the first level. She has just one caveat: He must recreate the original 1850s facade. A self-proclaimed Modernist, Crow was intrigued by the prospect of a historical restoration. “It was our first historical analysis,” he says. “Very little original construction was left, so we worked from old photographs and with help from the city.”

Once inside, the design skips several centuries to Crow's comfort zone—a contemporary loft aesthetic of glass, steel, and sustainable materials combined with refurbished character from the old structure. Existing interiors were excavated to expose limestone rubble party walls and to uncover longleaf pine ceiling joists supporting ceiling heights of 12 to 16 feet. Although in fine condition, the joists were removed to meet fire codes, but Crow salvaged them for use as flooring, floating ceiling panels, and even reconstituted joists.

Crow used photos of the original building (left) to recreate the facade. The long, sleek apartment (above, right) features open living space facing the street. Beyond the central kitchen, ceilings soar up to 16 feet, so Crow used the extra height to split the private spaces into an office loft above a sunken bedroom.

The deficit of daylight, however, was not such an easy fix. The 185-foot-long-by-25-foot-wide structure was open to illumination only at each end. In this case, historical restrictions presented the solution. To add a new third level to the structure, Crow had to set it back from street view. This opened the roof to a party deck with a view of the capitol and allowed room for clerestory boxes to funnel light into the center of the building.

Inside, Crow removed all cross dividers so daylight now flows unimpeded between oversized windows at each end. A kitchen and bathroom pod runs lengthwise in plan, squeezing light through at each side. Cabinetry screens public areas from private sleeping quarters and the office. “Our goal was to make live/work spaces that could function with only natural light throughout the day—it's another way to practice sustainable design,” says Crow.

A suspended stair passes through the ground floor retail (above), offering a private approach to the second-floor apartment as well as the top-floor studio (top).

project:
Metz-Fielding Building, Austin, Texas

architect:
Hobson Crow Architects, Austin

general contractor:
Pamela Fielding, Austin

project size:
2,200 square feet, retail; 2,600 square feet, apartment/office; 1,800 square feet, studio

construction cost:
Withheld

photographer:
Greg Hursley, except where noted