Loft Residence

Loft Residence in Boston, Massachusetts by Della Valle Bernheimer

Commissioned by an artist and her computer scientist husband, Della Valle + Bernheimer Design (d-bd) approached the design of the couple's loft in Boston by separating the spaces according to levels of privacy and function. Though not a new approach, the relatively small area (click here for floor plan) made it difficult for the architects to physically separate the spaces while maintaining an open, loft-like character. So, instead of standard construction and/or orthogonal walls, laser-cut steel walls follow two curving lines that separate the spaces into private/domestic, private/studio and public/studio. The first area contains the master bedroom and bathrooms (upper portion of plan), the second area contains a ceramics studio and meditation space (lower portion of plan), while the remaining area is devoted to the painting studio and kitchen that also functions as display space.

Following from the client's demand for a neutral palette in the apartment, possibly as a backdrop to the wife's colorful paintings, the steel walls have a quiet, gray tone, while providing textures that add to the tactile nature of her work. Actually the two walls are different types - bedroom wall is stainless steel and the studio/meditation wall is raw, cold-rolled steel - giving the loft subtle differences in how the public space is contained.

Beyond the mere fact of the two steel walls, obviously the generator and strongest quality for the spaces, they also feature holes for the hanging artwork and pivoting doors that enable the space to be more flexible than it seems. It is through computer technology (precise laser cutting of the walls) that d-bd were able to create spaces more efficient for the small plan with the flexibility mentioned above. So the architects were able to use the computer to overcome the constraints of the site and retain the loft-like character of the space, but in a way that is texturally rich and spatially interesting at the same time.

In the words of d-bd, "we designed a movable steel cart containing a hydraulic lift...fabricated to facilitate the installation of the [steel] panels during the construction phase. After completion of the construction, the cart will remain on-site, to be used by the artist as a mobile easel." This extra consideration goes well beyond how architects and contractors typically approach the construction process: it being a means towards the final product. Of course the final product - a loose term when one realizes a building is always being changed by the occupant - cannot be reached without a (usually long) time of construction. But any artifact that creates a continuity between the construction and occupation, like the cart/easel, imbues the whole process with that much more meaning, enabling the user to be connected with the building/interior's making. When the occupant herself make things, that artifact is that much more appropriate.