Course: Fall 2023 Advanced Studio (Pratt)

Professor: Jon Otis

site: 165 Gates Ave, Brooklyn, NY

sq. ft: 6,000

type: residence

While this project may exist within a traditional Brooklyn brownstone, new questions of living arise with its unique clientele. First, an elderly couple, one retired school administrator and one retired piano teacher, and their son, a chef who owns a restaurant in Fort Greene.

Additionally, their  daughter, a psychiatrist, and her two young kids, and her college roommate, a documentary filmmaker,  all co-habit the space.

The concept of this project stems from two central light wells that penetrate both the main apartment space and the garage space. These volumes bring light into the home, and create interstices as interiors within the interior, providing a moment of pause within this dynamic family home. At the top and ground floors, these moments to reflect, pray, meditate, etc aim to maintain a notion of connection while providing privacy and intimacy. In addition to the main  four story brownstone, there is also an available two floor garage space that connects through the cellar floor.  

The program of the residence  required accommodations for each of the family members, including a piano room, private office with street entrance, screening room, and play room. In questioning how can ideals of introvertedness, coexist or exist within a space that is inherently extroverted, these moments of refuge become a delicate interplay, where intimate contemplation becomes intertwined with the vibrant energy of the surrounding environment.  

On each floor, there is also a different treatment of the faces of these volume and implements frosted, clear and back-painted glass and also implements curtains as a kind of soft architecture. An emphasis on warm and comfortable materials helps to create further contrast with these vestiges, creating an overall sense of home for this modern family.