Three plus: ONE

The project calls for a design to house a family of three generation. We responded by placing the private areas on the two opposite ends while the public and semi-public spaces serve as the connector of these two wings. The 6,500sf apartment, with its exceptionally low floor to ceiling height, emits a strong sense of spatial horizontality. In the common areas, each zone is visually anchored by a choice of material to direct the eye to move horizontally across and beyond. Spaces float from one zone to the other to maximize the visual extension to the outside world. In the bedrooms we use built-in wardrobes and furniture to define spaces, as if they are carved out from a solid block to illustrate a sense of intimacy and privacy. By treating the public and private space differently, one could enjoy the intimacy and openness by flexible screening and movable partitioning. The feature walls act as visual devices to guide and define the spaces in this apartment.

Book-matched marble, back-lited CNC milled Corian, light transmitting wood veneer and Bronze Galvanized steel changes their visual quality through artificial and natural lighting thus giving a temporal dimension to the residence.

In the treatment of details, we illuminate both the top and bottom of the built-in cabinet so as to minimize the effect of the less-than-comfortable ceiling height of the unit.