Montreal architecture firm _naturehumaine is at it again. These guys are unstoppable, and my favourite Canadian architects right now. Here is the brief on this latest project of theirs: The client wants to transform the last two levels of a building to create living spaces for her two athletically inclined children, who are now grown adults. The primary goal is to create a shared living space in which all utilitarian functions are shared but which still allows each person to have privacy. The architectural concept consists in removing the floor currently separating the two levels to create a wide-open space in which two large boxes appear to float in mid-air. These suspended boxes, adorned with unfinished plywood panels, each contain a bedroom and a bathroom. This configuration creates three gaps, each being two floors high; the centre gap becomes a physical exercise room with a pair of gymnastics rings. The whole structure is connected lengthwise by a block that is painted black; the block accommodates different services, including stairways, a shower room and part of the kitchen. A large island with unfinished wood painted white delineates the kitchen space, with sliding lacquered bookshelves underneath the wooden boxes. I love everything about this...the spaciousness (2000 sq ft too!), the massive black wall of storage, the shelving with more storage, and yes even the raw plywood. This sounds like the perfect solution given what the client was looking for. SCORE for client's kids!
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Wed, 8 Jul 2015
