Vertical datum_
The aim of introducing a maximum amount of daylight and visual information to the deep ground floor plan and the basement whilst shielding it from abundant noise and gazes translated into using several layers of glazing.
The first reflective plane- the façade- deals with the perception of exterior and interior space. Maximum materialization of the glass pane was achieved by folding and tilting it into different segments so it would reflect the same image at different stages according to its movement and to the movement of the viewer. In this way, the glass virtually loses its transparency to become a screen that displays a multiple urban context and overlaps it with the interior.
The second and third layers - a full height glazed fire screen and a glass balustrade - act as resounding screens that echo the reflections from the street, thus act as a protective filter yet at the same time allow light and visuals to enter into the depths of the space. This series of glass layers produce reflections that inform the space with images and light and frame the activities in-between them.
Horizontal datum_
While these vertical layers connect the space horizontally, two incisions connect vertically to the formerly unusable basement. The first, a pavement light from sandblasted glass is permitting a coloured light to flow into the basement. Half of it belongs to the sidewalk so it behaves as a negotiator between the private and the public by blurring the edges. Its semi-transparency connects the basement with the outside, offering information about movement, weather and light conditions.
The second incision- a rectangular opening of about 1.6 m by 2 m is providing air and light for the formerly unusable basement. It creates one large space with varying degrees of visibility and privacy.
White walls and ceilings contrast with black stained plywood floor panels, laid out in a grid of 0.9 m by 2 m; all the incisions and reflective layers, as well as part of the lighting are positioned in relation to this modulor. The choice of colours as well as the spatial layout creates a neutral, rectangular backdrop against which the faade and the ephemeral phenomena stand out. The white surfaces act as a canvas that receives the moods of the weather, instant reflections and tints from passing cars, while the black floors turn into a deep velvet sea.
The building was used as a temporary gallery before being acquired by a fashion PR company that use it as a combined showroom/ open plan office.
published in: New Architects2
'Frame' Issue 11/12-00
D-Line Calendar 2002
