Coop Himmelb(l)au's Falkestrasse rooftop "broke every rule"
Austrian studio Coop Himmelb(l)au's rooftop extension on Falkestrasse in Vienna was one of the earliest completed deconstructionist buildings. Continuing our series reinvestigating the style, we look at the dramatic loft conversion.
Created as an extension to law firm Schuppich, Sporn, Winischhofer's office on Falkestrasse, the rooftop structure ignored many of the area's planning regulations.
"At this time in this area it was not allowed to change the roofline or the material – was nothing allowed," said Coop Himmelb(l)au co-founder Wolf Prix.
"The construction was very complicated, because we make it the concrete, nothing steel and public," he told Dezeen. "So we broke every rule, everything."
The Falkestrasse rooftop extension was one of the earliest completed deconstructionist buildings
Constructed largely from glass and steel, the angular extension contains a 90-square-metre meeting room and several small offices and a reception area.
Prix attributes the studio being allowed to build the dramatic structure to a meeting with the mayor, who determined that the design was not architecture, but a work of art.
The extension contains a meeting room
"I think it was the first with this kind of method, if you would call it method, of throwing things up that came from not caring about anything," said Prix.
"When we tried to get the commission there were a lot of committees you have to pass where all the idiots are sitting around trying to be an architect," he continued.
[
Read:
Deconstructivist architecture "challenges the very values of harmony, unity and stability"
](https://www.dezeen.com/2022/05/03/deconstructivist-architecture-introduction/)
"So we went to the mayor and he said these things we had made are not an architecture thesis this is art," Prix added. "And I said please write that down as art cannot be controlled by codes. The only codes we followed were for safety."
One of the earliest buildings designed in an emerging style, the rooftop extension completed in 1988 and was included in the seminal Deconstructivist Architecture exhibition at the MoMA the same year.
It was largely built from glass and steel
"The rooftop remodeling project is clearly a form that has been distorted by some alien organism, a writhing, disruptive animal breaking through the corner," said MoMA exhibition curator Mark Wigley.
"Some twisted counter-relief infects the orthogonal box. It is a skeletal monster which breaks up the elements of the form as it struggles out."
Its angular forms are typical of deconstructivist architecture
Despite its relatively small size, the project drew a great deal of attention and was a significant moment for both the studio and deconstructivism as it showed these radical schemes could actually be built.
"It was very important because I could show them that it's really possible to build these so-called crazy ideas," explained Prix.
"When the people saw our model a lot of people disliked it, but when it was built I could convince them to build more as they were very happy."
A reception and several small offices are located next to the meeting room
Founded by Prix alongside Helmut Swiczinsky and Michael Holzer in 1968, the Austrian studio went on to design numerous cultural buildings around the world after the rooftop was completed.
Coop Himmelb(l)au recently completed an art complex in Shenzen with an irregular form made from stone and shimmering glass and a faceted steel and angular glass building for the Musée des Confluences in Lyon.
Illustration is by Jack Bedford
Deconstructivism is one of the 20th century's most influential architecture movements.Our series profiles the buildings and work of its leading proponents – Peter Eisenman, Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, Rem Koolhaas, Daniel Libeskind, Tschumi and Prix.
Read our deconstructivism series ›
The photography is by Duccio Malagamba.
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#deconstructivism #all #architecture #vienna #austria #extensions #coophimmelblau #lofts
Horizontal line cuts through Amsterdam loft revamped by Firm Architects
Firm Architects has carefully organised zinc, mirror and brick elements to form a striking horizontal line around the interior of this loft apartment in Amsterdam's De Pijp district.
The previous owner of the loft, which is shortlisted in the apartment interior category of this year's Dezeen Awards, had largely used it as an overspill room to store belongings and other knick-knacks.
When it fell into the hands of the current occupant, they tasked local studio Firm Architects with transforming the loft into a liveable space that featured distinct "made-to-measure" details.
Firm Architects created a horizontal line around the loft apartment
The practice decided to establish a line that runs around the walls so that the loft appears to have been "visibly cut through". Wall space above the line has been rendered white or fitted with zinc panelling, while underneath the line is the loft's exposed brick structural shell or black-tinted mirrors.
"Everything above the cross-section is a new interpretation, and everything below a reflection of the old," said the practice.
The loft's brick structural shell is left bare below the line
The line sits 95 centimetres above the floor, an aspect that Firm Architects says is meant to bring a poetic element to the loft.
"It is the central point of a man’s body...standing with your lower body in the old and your upper body in the new, it reflects being rooted in the past and looking to the future," explained the practice, which has named the project Reflections of the Past as a result. "We have thus centralized the physical user in the design."
The staircase's first zinc tread sits level with the established line
The project also saw Firm Architects construct a new staircase that grants residents access to a roof terrace.
The two-part staircase comprises a block of black steps and a block of steps made from perforated zinc. The first zinc tread sits level with the line running around the loft.
Just beyond the stairs is a sliding wooden partition, behind which lies the master bedroom.
A band of grey terrazzo keeps the horizontal line going in the loft's bathroom
The bathroom, laundry room and a small guest room are accessed via a hidden door in the loft's zinc and mirror-panelled wall.
The horizontal line that features in the living area continues into the bathroom, defined by a band of light-grey terrazzo that wraps around the shower cubicle. There is also a 95-centimetre-high wooden vanity cabinet, accompanied by an arched mirror.
Other components of the loft have been made to sit at the same height as the line. This includes the blocky grey kitchen island, which is inbuilt with a concrete sink and a small stove. Directly above hangs a black cylindrical extractor hood.
The kitchen island is inbuilt with a concrete sink
The loft used to only have two modestly sized windows, but the entire south facade has been replaced with a sequence of glass doors that bring in an abundance of natural light.
They're fronted by a gauzy grey curtain that can be drawn across in the summer months to stop too much heat filtering through to the interior. Hot air can also escape from the electric hatch door that leads to the roof terrace.
The practice otherwise hopes that the subtle lustre of the zinc surfaces and staircase will further illuminate the living spaces.
Glass doors run across the loft's south facade
Firm Architects was founded by Carolien Roos and Niek Joanknecht.
The practice's Amsterdam loft will compete against five other projects in its Dezeen Awards category – among them is Wood Ribbon, a flat in Paris that's arranged around a sinuous plywood wall, and Roseneath Street, an apartment in Melbourne that features off-form concrete walls.
_Photography is byStudio de Nooyer. _
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#residential #all #interiors #apartments #amsterdam #netherlands #lofts
Emil Eve Architects creates "sense of calm" in pale pink loft extension
Everything is pale pink in this monochromatic loft extension designed by Emil Eve Architects for a house in east London.
The London-based studio has used colour blocking to unite the various elements of the Narford Road loft, including surfaces, furniture and joinery.
The loft extension creates a new bedroom for the house
Studio co-founder Emma Perkin said the aim was to create a "sense of calm" in the space, which will be used as a bedroom.
The clients, a couple with two young children, wanted a room that would feel like a sanctuary, allowing them to leave the chaos of family life downstairs.
"Their brief to us was to create a space that was serene and grown-up, intended purely for the adults," Perkin told Dezeen.
The entire room is painted in a pale pink shade
As the house is located within a conservation area, the loft extension had to be designed with minimal visual impact. The architecture studio did this by designing a mansard roof, which replaces the butterfly roof that previously topped the house.
With its projecting windows, the mansard form helps to maximise the feeling of space and light within the room.
The design includes built-in closets and shelves
Bespoke joinery also helps to make optimal use of space.
Emil Eve Architects designed built-in wardrobes and a window seat, which create a full-height dressing area on one side of the room. The other side of the room is framed by slatted panelling, which integrates storage and a bedhead.
Bolder patterns were chosen for the en-suite bathroom
The pale pink – a Little Greene paint shade called China Clay Mid – colours almost everything in the loft, with only a few exceptions.
The wooden flooring is left natural, while handles are finished in polished brass.
"We explored several material palettes but settled quickly on the idea of colour blocking, to create a sense of calm and draw all the spaces together," said Perkin.
"The clay-pink colour was selected as it transformed beautifully in different light and weather conditions, holding the shadows created by the slatted joinery and the forms of the space."
Black and white terrazzo tiles cover the floor
Some other colours and textures are introduced within the en-suite bathroom, which is tucked neatly into the corner of the space.
Graphic black and white terrazzo floor tiles feature alongside pale-toned plaster walls. The room also boasts a large skylight, located above the walk-in shower.
A new mansard roof was installed to create the room
Perkin co-directs Emil Eve Architects with partner Ross Perkin. Other recent projects by the studio include a converted warehouse apartment in London's Clerkenwell and a farmhouse extension in Wiltshire.
Photography is byMariell Lind Hansen.
Project credits
Architect: Emil Eve Architects
Project architect: Emma Perkin
Contractor: Tuga Contractors Ltd
Building control: Quadrant Building Control
Ensuite specialist plasterer: MUD Finishes
Terrazzo tiles: Mosaic Factory
Ash flooring: Woodflooring Engineered Ltd
Paint: Little Greene
Sanitaryware: Lusso Stone
Lights: Árturo Alvarez, Flos, Tom Dixon
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#residential #all #architecture #instagram #london #uk #england #extensions #residentialextensions #lofts #londonhouseextensions #emilevearchitects #pink
CumuloLimbo inserts plywood-clad loft within UpHouse in Madrid
Inexpensive materials such as salvaged plywood feature in a compact apartment in Madrid that has been overhauled by Spanish studio CumuloLimbo.
The project, called UpHouse, entailed an extensive redesign of a small apartment in Madrid's Hortaleza district.
A mezzanine was added to the flat in Madrid
The clients, a young couple, wanted to create more space by raising the apartment's ceiling and adding a second level. They turned to local firm CumuloLimbo to design the fit-out. The project had a tight budget of $39,000 (£28,334).
To prevent the unit from feeling too dark and cramped, the studio suggested adding a mezzanine rather than a full floor.
The loft spaces sits above a bathroom
"UpHouse is the tale of an implant – the introduction of a space of intimate scale into another space, which, within a domestic diagram, is exposed and social," said the architects.
The team removed the plasterboard ceiling and, over a central bathroom, inserted the loft space, which holds a bed, closet and vanity.
Floor and walls are clad in plywood
The loft is supported by steel columns and beams, which were left exposed. The floor and walls are clad in deconstructed, plywood shipping crates that were once used to transport electronic equipment.
The sides overlooking the lower level of the apartment were left open, with the exception of a few cables.
A staircase leads up from the kitchen counter
The loft is accessed via an unusual staircase that terminates atop a kitchen counter. To reach the floor, a black step stool can be pulled up to the counter and stashed away when not in use.
The new mezzanine divides UpHouse's ground level into distinct zones.
"The new upper floor divides the apartment into two spaces, a private and a public function," the team said. "The choice of materials for these two spaces reflects this duality."
To the east is a revamped kitchen and living area, where white walls reflect light from an adjoining patio, creating a bright atmosphere.
One side of the flat has a music studio
The cooking area features a new, open shelving system. Black tiles were cleverly arranged to form a graphic backsplash.
The other side of the unit holds a music studio. Plywood-covered walls lend an intimate feel to the space.
Mirror-lined slats hang from the ceiling
Getting light into the upper level of UpHouse was a significant concern. In response, the team hung an installation in the music studio composed of mirror-lined, wooden slats.
"In order to maximise natural light in the new upper level, a mirror-faced wood vault is built in the private side," the team said. "Natural light is reflected and multiplied with a great visual effect."
The bathroom has geometric tiles
The team also updated the apartment's bathroom by adding geometric tiles and a new vanity.
Other apartments in Madrid include a unit by Nomos inside an old workshop that features tactile bricks and pinewood partitions, and a plywood-lined apartment by Husos Arquitectos that totals 46 square metres.
Photography is byJavier de Paz García.
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#residential #all #interiors #architecture #plywood #spain #madrid #renovations #mezzanines #lofts #madridapartments
Vipp Studio in Manhattan functions as both showroom and apartment
The owners of Danish design company Vipp have renovated a Tribeca loft that acts as a showroom for their brand and a pied-à-terre when they stay in New York City.
Sofie and Frank Christensen Egelund designed the Vipp Studio as a space to showcase their product range in-situ and to live in with their two children and golden retriever.
The Vipp Studio is furnished with the Danish brand's products
The couple spent a year renovating the 3,800-square-foot (350-square-metre) loft, on the fifth floor of a former factory that dates back to 1883.
Located on Lispenard Street, it is close to showrooms of many high-end design brands including Orior, Egg Collective and Allied Maker.
A gallery provides space for Vipp owners Sofie and Frank Christensen Egelund to display their art collection
Working with Lebanese firm Raëd Abillama Architects and stylist Colin King, the Vipp owners created an interior scheme that aligns with the brand's pared-back aesthetic.
"The Studio presents a rare opportunity to experience Vipp's trademark soothing minimalism alongside the quietly playful sensibilities of its creators," said a statement from the brand.
The couple and their family live in the New York City showroom
Laid out as a functional apartment, the live-in showroom is dispersed through the high-ceilinged loft and bathed in light from 10-foot-tall (three-metre) windows.
Ceiling beams, brickwork walls, wood columns and other historic features are painted in a neutral grey-beige tone called Drop Cloth from Farrow & Ball. A similar hue carries across new Kvadrat curtains and upholstered panels.
The pared-back interior reflects Vipp's minimalist design ethos
Vipp products are displayed alongside iconic Danish designs like Poul Kjaerholm's PK 54 dining table, which is accompanied by Vipp Cabin Chairs in the kitchen area.
Black kitchen modules and appliances, all by Vipp, are installed beside extruded aluminum millwork built by Beirut-based Elie Chaker that hides a custom wine glass storage area.
The Christensen Egelunds can present their collection of art and sculpture in a gallery area, separated by a glass partition from the main bedroom, in which the paint colour darkens slightly to Hardwick White.
A large, airy living area is designed for entertaining and features more Vipp pieces including a sofa, daybed and coffee table next to another Danish classic: Armchair 31 by Alvar Aalto for Artek.
The spacious living area is designed for entertaining clients and friends
The more private office space has a custom travertine desk surrounded by upholstered millwork that improves the room's acoustics.
One bathroom is lined entirely with striated Persian travertine, while another is clad in dark Ceppo stone that is carved to form features such as a scalloped shower.
Custom pieces in the studio include a travertine office desk
Overall, the showroom is intended to be regularly updated with new products and prototypes and to offer insights into Vipp and its owners.
"Revealing how two meticulous designers enjoy their beloved finds and creations, the Studio amounts to a new concept for a showroom as a model for living, and as a vital site for inspiration," said the statement.
Dark Ceppo stone is carved to form a scalloped shower
The Vipp Studio, which is open by appointment only, is the brand's latest project that goes beyond the idea of a traditional design showroom.
The company also manufactures entire prefabricated homes that come filled with its furniture and homeware, and one is set up as a hotel on the shore of Sweden's Lake Immeln.
The photography is byAdrian Gaut.
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#retail #all #interiors #residential #instagram #usa #showrooms #newyorkcity #lofts #newyorkapartments #vipp #tribeca #newyork
Space4Architecture adds skylight staircase to minimal Brooklyn townhouse
New York studio Space4Architecture has brought natural light into a townhouse in Brooklyn's Carroll Gardens neighbourhood by adding a staircase topped with a skylight.
Called Verandah Place Townhouse, the Brooklyn home is a late 1800s carriage house – an outbuilding originally built for horse-drawn carriages.
Verandah Place Townhouse features a minimal white staircase
Space4Architecture was tasked with transforming the house's interiors for a family of five and their dog to create a comfortable and functional space with a minimal design.
Multiple previous renovations had left the house without many of its original features, leaving only the redbrick facade.
The Brooklyn home was originally built in the 1800s
"At the time of acquisition, the carriage house was all divided into small rooms and narrow hallways," Space4Architecture principal Michele Busiri-Vici told Dezeen.
"By working simultaneously on horizontal and vertical planes we were able to free the interior space, creating a sense of openness while at the same time guaranteeing the necessary number of rooms required by our client."
A skylight tops the staircase
Informed by New York loft apartments, the architecture studio wanted the outwardly narrow home to have an interior with an uninterrupted flow.
"We created a loft on four storeys," explained Busiri-Vici. "We juxtaposed a very private and traditional exterior with an extremely open, contemporary and welcoming interior."
Light floods the house from the staircase
Central to opening out the townhouse was the insertion of a white staircase with oak treads and open risers, flanked on one side by plastered parapets.
Positioned above a skylight and next to a large glass door, the stairwell adds natural light to the narrow building.
"The stairwell is the house's standout design feature," said Busiri-Vici. "It is a vessel of light and a continuous visual reference, both horizontally and vertically, throughout the entire home."
A neutral colour palette is maintained in every room of Verandah Place with soft white walls and built-in oak millwork. Wooden floors are from the Italian brand Alpha.
White and oak interiors feature throughout the house
The house's white walls and pale oak floors are a strategy to maximise light.
"The house doesn't have big enough windows to bring tons of natural light inside," said Busiri-Vici.
"The pristine plastered walls and ceilings and the soft white oak of the floor and the millwork receive natural light and diffuse it throughout the home."
Colourful accents and a steel fireplace in the living room
Splashes of colourful furniture contrast with a blackened-steel fireplace in the living room while delicate terrazzo tiles by Concrete Collaborative line the main bathroom.
"The townhouse's design is minimal, clean and essential," concluded Busiri-Vici.
Terrazzo tiles in the main bathroom
Space4Architecture is a New York-based architectural design studio founded in 1999 and led by Michele Busiri-Vici and Clementina Ruggieri.
The firm has completed a similar townhouse with a curved white staircase in the city's Upper West Side.
The photography is byBeatrice Pediconi.
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#all #interiors #residential #usa #brooklyn #staircases #lofts #space4architecture #minimalistinteriordesign #brooklyntownhouses
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