In New York's Tribeca district architects from New York-based firm Dean/Wolf New York have converted an old warehouse quite typical of the district into a modern residential complex. The architects describe the design process as a radical inversion of the existing structure. The once functional floorplan, originally designed for production and logistics purposes, was broken up and replaced with a combined Cor-Ten steel and glass construction that extends over three floors. A small courtyard garden that opens up to the sky forms the new heart of the building, providing a bright open space that in the industrial building's time was only to be found in urban parks.
The shelving systems on the ground and upper storey allude to industrial shelves that stretch from floor to ceiling, referencing the building's former use as a warehouse. Rust-colored steel and the matching surface shades of the interior furnishings set the scene along with the polished concrete floor and the frosted and clear glass of the built-in furniture.
Interlocking double-story volumes create exterior garden court as center of shared spaces and interior stair court that descends to the private spaces below
Bookshelves line the hallway that leads to the glass floor of the reading court
Glass floor brings light to the third-floor playroom
Frameless glass shingles cascade from the upper garden court down through the reading court
Transparent silicone glazing at the court joins the shared public spaces and washes them with cool light
Looking through the open corner of the court from the kitchen
Insight from above - visualization of the Architects
View down into the garden court from the penthouse living room of the inverted warehouse/townhouse, designed by Dean/Wolf Architects, New York | All photos © Paul Warchol
Skylights at the garden court admit light into the double-story playroom
Private stair joins bedroom spaces as it passes over the light-admitting glass floor
A single staircase joins kitchen, dining room, and penthouse living room and culminates in a projecting balcony overlooking to the exterior court
"Domesticity is suspended in the open space of industry—the tranquil landscape dissipates radiant energy into its host" Quote by Dean/Wolf / All drawings © Dean/Wolf Architects
