The clients, Anne Milne and Jacob Ojito, asked I-Beam Design to invent a new kind of minimal white space to exhibit their art collection which includes works by renowned Cuban artists Wilfredo Lam and Amelia Pelaez as well as paintings from the South American "Escuela del Sur" and “Arte Concreto Invencion”. The architect’s proposed an intersection between home and gallery based on a spatial concept that would reflect upon the compositional strategies employed in painting. In order to achieve this I-Beam suggested working in collaboration with Joan Waltemath, a contemporary painter whose work is based on a matrix of numerical ratios that resonate beautifully with the proportions of architectonic space. The clients welcomed this idea.

Ms. Waltemath recently developed a computer program with Andrew Tripp whereby these harmonic structures could be projected across interior volumes. I-Beam worked with Joan to locate her proportional matrix in the space, first establishing a point of origin at the intersection between the Entry Hall/Gallery, the public space and the private areas of the loft. Ms. Waltemath decided to create a unique work of art that is at once a painting, a sculpture, a hearth, and a door. This multifunctional approach is typical of I-Beam’s work as well and became a means by which to negotiate between the artist's two-dimensional rendering of space and the architect’s three dimensional vision.

By exploding the matrix throughout the space and using its lines to generate various programmatic interventions, the art and architecture were set in dialog. The harmonic progressions radiate out from the origin point to generate a variety of spaces including a guest bedroom, a home entertainment center, an office, an open dining area, numerous cabinets and moving exhibition panels to accommodate an evolving art collection. A prime example of this may be seen in the temporary guest bedroom which appears by opening a sofa bed that in turn releases a cantilevered wall which swings out to privatize the bed area while projecting the matrix into space.

The only permanent enclosure in the loft contains closets and a new Guest Bathroom made of acid etched mirror, which gives the impression of expanding space and suspended gravity. The apartment is nearly void of doors except for Waltemath’s hearth piece and a glass Duchamp Door that closes off the shower room as it opens the bathroom to the bedroom.

The 1900 square feet loft has windows to the East and West, leaving the middle section and origin point in shadow. Ms. Waltemath wanted to activate this area: “I decided to illuminate the moving panel in the center of the space to become in effect a cold hearth. I started my harmonic progressions from the center of the panel, which was also the center point of the wall section framed by a long hallway when seen from the point of entry.”

Ms. Waltemath consulted Linnaea Tillett of Tillett Lighting Design Inc., who frequently collaborates with artists to create artworks with integrated lighting. Ms. Tillett, who has 25 years of experience in architectural lighting design, proposed a combination of phosphorescence and L.E.D technology.

“This cold hearth consists of 8 distinct panels (4 quadrants on each side) “made of clear and colored acrylic panels with L.E.D. lights hidden behind a white powder-coated aluminum frame. Phosphorescent acrylic sheets allow the work to reflect day and nighttime conditions and glow cerulean blue in dim light”. The hearth, like the rest of the design, achieves grace and dynamism by employing a subtle pallet of whites and light as a means to render form and expand space.

CREDITS:

Architect: I-Beam Design

Artist: Joan Waltemath in collaboration with Linnea Tillet, lighting designer and assistance from Andrew Tripp, software developer

Artwork Fabricator: Steve Sammuels at Work with Your Brain

Mechanical and Electrical Engineering: Fiskaa Engineering

Photos by Farzad Owrang Video by Glenn Lazzaro

This 3000 square foot loft renovation, in the heart of NOHO, was designed to accommodate the clients’ modern design sensibilities and their openness to experimentation. The long living space remains free of walls, using custom built architectural events to define the spatial character and use of each area rather than partitions. These playful elements satisfy multiple functional needs simultaneously. The stainless steel steps leading from the kitchen to children’s playroom and roof garden above function both as stair, kitchen cabinet, countertop and removable step ladder which may be rolled away in order to access upper cabinets, lighting or the retractable television screen and video system elsewhere in the penthouse apartment. The stationary steps are made of slip resistant glass and appear to float above the kitchen in temping provocation to the kids, who love to use them as a jungle gym. Similarly, the new mahogany mantle folds around the slate hearth of the fireplace and incorporates various storage cabinets for CDs, tapes and display drawers for the couples’ antique collection.

There are three bathrooms in the loft, each with its own dynamic elements. The children’s bathroom vanity is made of fluorescent colored acrylic cabinetry and illuminated from within like a big nightlight. The powder room’s glass countertop extends through the living room wall and lights up when the room is occupied. The master bathroom is separated from the main entry vestibule by an aquarium made of liquid crystal glass. When electrically charged the glass becomes clear allowing a view of the bedroom and frosted mirror bathroom beyond while simultaneously flooding the formerly dark entryway with natural light from the bedroom windows. In order to maintain privacy, the liquid crystal glass of the aquarium may be switched off from the bathroom side, thus becoming opaque. The new stainless steel sink is recessed into a wood countertop that cantilevers over the custom built dresser/bed unit. The countertop incorporates reading lights on the bed side and retractable mirrors and drawers on the bathroom side. A matching built-in office desk/make-up table also has concealed lighting, mirror, printer, fax and file drawers, allowing the bedroom to always remain neat and tidy with plenty of storage, while still satisfying multiple purposes.

Photos by Silke Mayer & Andreas Sterzing

This 2200 square foot apartment renovation, on the Upper East Side, was designed to accommodate the clients' modern design sensibilities and combine their work environment with their home. The apartment is located in the Sovereign Building on East 58th street, and was originally conceived as a 2-bedroom apartment with a maid's room, which was clearly defined as individual rooms.

The renovation attempted to open up the space from the existing traditional apartment to a contemporary open loft space, allowing more view and light to filter through. The prime objective was to maximize storage space and to minimize maintenance due to the presence of the client's dog. To protect the existing Eileen Grey sofa and all the new built-in furniture from the dog, an extensive amount of black leather was used for its durability. To offset the black, "de Stijl primary colors" were used in order to create a more playful environment. This was achieved by creating a band of birch cabinetry, toped with yellow Fincolor plywood with exposed dark stained edge that ribbon through out the apartment. It starts from one end as the office, and moves thru dining area to the other end as the living room. The living space remains free of walls, using custom built architectural events to define the spatial character and use of each area rather than partitions. These playful elements satisfy multiple functional needs simultaneously.

The yellow surface changes height as it meanders through the apartment functioning as the client's desk top in the office, counter top with storage underneath, built-in sofa in the living area, book shelf above the stereo system and office, sink counter in the powder room, and built-in seating in the kitchen.

As her desk surface turns vertical and then horizontal again, it creates a tucked in alcove with recessed lights that illuminate the work area. All her office equipments are hidden inside the built-in cabinets with the dark fincolor edge cutting through. There is a roller shade at the opening, which allows closing of the desk. The office may be closed off completely by a set of pocket doors made with translucent Panelites. The Panelite is used again at the corner edge of the powder room allowing natural light to get in as well lighting up when the room is occupied.

Photos by Silke Mayer

This one bedroom, 600 square foot apartment in Chelsea, New York City, achieves maximum spatial efficiency through the use of built-in furniture that performs multiple functions with a budget of under $15,000.00. The wall separating the bedroom from the living room is the focus of the renovation. Its main feature is a revolving steel drum that houses all the entertainment equipment, including television, video and stereo systems. The drum rotates within the wall enabling access to the equipment from the bedroom as well as the living room. The wall separating the two rooms becomes an animated jigsaw puzzle of parts, using the thickness of the wall to incorporate a desk, storage space, file cabinet, and bookshelves. The recessed desk on the living room side becomes a protruding bookshelf in the bedroom, while the window above the desk provides for natural light penetration as well as a visual connection between the two rooms. Photos by David Frazer