Wall House II

Here is a peek into an ongoing project we have been working on.  This is a renovation of an existing free-standing corner building with an empty lot beside it (a rarity in this part of Brooklyn.)  The program brief calls for a single family residence on the upper floor, a commercial gallery and workshop space on the ground floor and vertical connection between.

We've organized the building into two systems: 1. a wooden volume that contains all the living space (dining room, living room, bedroom, etc.) and 2. a concrete mass that houses all of the utilitarian functions of the house (bathrooms, kitchen, storage and vertical passage) and acts as a sound buffer between the noise from the main street and the interior of the house.

The wooden volume is defined by a series of horizontal slats, which are organized in a way that provides varying degrees of natural light and privacy relative to the public and private areas of the house.

Alaska Part 1 - At Sea

We're just back from the most incredible trip to Alaska.  I had never considered taking a cruise anywhere, but when we were invited to join my folks for their 40th wedding anniversary on a cruise to Alaska, we couldn't pass up the opportunity.

There were definitely some Wall-E moments on the cruise ship (folks on electric scooters endlessly eating,) however, we quickly found the secluded places on the ship.  With a little exploration, you could find your own near-private outdoor deck or reading nook.  With a few extra layers, we sat on the outer deck for hours as the ship slipped quietly through the water.

Alaska Part 2 - Mendenhall Glacier

While we were in Juneau, we hooked up with a local guide for a 7 hour trek on the Mendenhall Glacier.  We were lucky to have a small, physically fit group of six, which allowed us to cover much more terrain and as a result spend more time on the ice.This was an incredible hike.  As you move from the trail-head to the glacier, you move from an older to younger forest and eventually into the moraine formed over time as the glacier advanced and receded.

Alaska Part 3 - Ice Cave

An hour into our trek across the ice, our guide Nick, surprised us and took us to the mouth of a hidden ice cave.  These caves are constantly changing shape and size as they collapse and are reformed by the water that carves its way through the ice.

From the outside (top photo) there is almost no sign of the cave below hundreds of feet of ice.  Since we had such a small, fit group, Nick felt safe guiding us deep into the cave.  I have to say, out of all the places I have traveled, this is pretty close to the top.  I have never experienced something so surreal.

Alaska Part 4 - Tracy Arm Fjord

These photos don't come close to capturing the scale and overwhelming silence of Tracy Arm Fjord.  We were up at 5am, on the deck, as the captain guided the ship silently through the fjord.  At one end of the fjord you have the Sawyer glacier with dozens of seals and seal pups hanging out on the freshly calved icebergs.  It is hard to judge the size of the glacier from these photos, but the face of the glacier is over 100ft high.

OWEN Boutique by Tacklebox

The following project is conceived of as the first in a series of signature stores for the emerging retailer OWEN.  In this first store we define a retail environment that introduces the visitor to the brand and spirit of OWEN and serves as a preview of stores to come.

Located in the Meatpacking District, OWEN occupies an 1,800 square foot space that previously housed a meat storage facility, auto storage, and a floral shop.  In response to the rich history of the space and through the juxtaposition of industrial elements with the handmade, we sought to create a place that is both familiar and timeless.

Here a continuous surface, hand-built out of 25,000 brown paper bags*, arches from floor to ceiling. The repetition of the paper bags results in a honeycomb-like structure that defines a warm, organic volume which sits within the existing industrial brick and concrete space.  Additionally, all clothing, accessories, and jewelry are displayed on quartz slab tables, blackened steel hang-bars and steel and glass vitrines whose linearity and crisp details sit in contrast to the delicate texture of the paper arch beyond.


*for those wondering, we worked with a consultant to find a non-toxic flame retardant saturant (specific to paper) that was used to treat the entire installation in order to achieve a Class A fire rating.


All photos by Juliana Sohn for OWEN

Brazil Part 1

This year we kicked things off with two weeks of research in Brazil.  Many thanks go out to all the folks who helped us along the way, especially Raul, Maggie and Gunnar, Milena and Clemente, and the Michael Kalil Endowment.

We set out with an ambitious agenda filled with celebrated examples of Brise Soleil and along the way discovered the inspiring work of Vilanova Artigas, Lina Bo Bardi, and Roberto Burle Marx.  It will take a bit to digest, but I can already feel the impact both in teaching and practice.