01/26/2024
This project represents our ongoing inquiry into visual lightness and continuity. In this renovation we explored juxtaposition, introducing a new spatial dialogue within the perceptive weight of a historic building.
Erected in 1912, this 10-story landmark structure is one of the oldest multi-family buildings in Chicago. Originally built with 3 distinct units per floor, each uniquely shaped due to its location along the bend of Lake-Shore-Drive. In contrast to today’s lifestyle, these apartments were designed in a time of compartmentalized living, with servants and social formalities in place, resulting in a divided interior with little connection to the outside.
Seeking to live in a brighter and much more open space, our clients tasked us to combine two large apartments as their new home. We responded by stripping the spaces down to core building elements, revealing the perimeter and structure. Newly liberated columns became the catalyst for organizing the entire dwelling, marching through the interior and bringing two distinct apartments together as one cohesive whole.
