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Stepped Volumes Apartment

Typology

Residential

Area

900 sf

Location

New York

Status

Built

Stepped volume apartment

Stepped Volumes Apartment

Interiors

 The brief required recalibrating the spaces within the 80 square meters apartment. The original floor plan had only one bedroom, and two bathrooms were awkwardly opening into a large foyer. The unit was in complete disrepair and lacked modern systems and fixtures, requiring a gut renovation. Our solution developed a playful, site-specific architecture deploying “inserted elements” to house new programs, modified the circulation, reused existing elements (e.g. doors and flooring) wherever possible, and introduced interior openings to bring light into darker spaces. All solutions needed to be simple, functional, and cost-effective.

 The reason for using a stepped geometry for these “inserted elements” is two-fold. Visually, the steps differentiate the new volumes from the existing fabric. Pragmatically, the formed shelves provide space to showcase objects or for additional storage. The use of color reinforces the distinction between existing and inserted geometries, which are left white. The apartment is sparsely furnished meeting the minimalist sensibility of the client. Several of the furnishings are traditional Czech pieces.

Press

Platform # 31 (print), Nya Rum (print), Avivre (print),

Expertise

Architecture, Interior Design, FFE

Team

Alessandro Preda, Nicola Brasetti

Photography

Studio Flusser

Stepped Volumes Apartment

Stepped volume apartment

Inspiration

Primitive Tectonic

Our fascination with boulders derives from their abstract nature, scale ambiguity, and infinite sculptural variety. Boulders, with their creases, folds, and steps, invite interaction. One can climb onto a boulder to seek a better vantage point, hide behind one to seek protection. What space-making would emerge from these tectonic formations if they were inhabitable?

This theme centers on the perception of a monolith seamlessly “inserted” into an existing fabric. It stems from a desire to achieve maximum impact with minimal means—crafting architecture from simple, humble materials like sheetrock.

More than Primitive Tectonic

Mirrored Horizon

The horizon, a delicate line etched between earth and sky, is both boundary and bridge. It orients us, anchoring our place in the vastness of the world, yet it beckons us toward the infinite, where possibility stretches beyond sight. Can an interior horizon expand our thoughts outward (or within) and metaphorically abolish the walls surrounding the space?

More than Mirrored Horizon

Stepped Volumes Apartment

Stepped volume apartment
Stepped volume apartment

“The Stepped Volumes Apartment proves to be an interesting transfiguration that reinterprets and incorporates the existing habitat in an original composition: an exercise in writing between interrupted writings as a possible theory of architecture.” Platform Magazine

Stepped Volumes Apartment
Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Maecenas sed diam eget risus varius blandit sit amet non magna. Fusce dapibus.
stepped volume apartment
Corner detail of “inserted object”
stepped volume apartment
Living Room
Kitchen with palladiana floor and handmade backsplash tiles
Steeped Volume Apartment
Entry foyer
Stepped volume apartment
Bedroom
Stepped volume apartment
Mirrored Horizon - Living Room
Stepped volume apartment
Living room
Stepped Volume Apartment
"Were it not for shadows, there would be no beauty." J.Tanizaki's "In Praise of Shadows"
Stepped volume apartment
En-suite bathroom with custom vanity referencing the shape of the stepped volume

Ground Floor Plan

Stepped Volume Apartment

Axo

Steeped Volume Apartment

Interior Elevation Kitchen

Steeped Volume Apartment

Interior Elevation Opening

Steeped Volume Apartment

Interior Elevation Foyer

Steeped Volume Apartment

Interior Elevation Bedroom

Steeped Volume Apartment

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