THE SHOJI SCREENS

Project idea

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Project description

Given a NYC lot with a large piece of Manhattan schist on it, we added materials such as glass and concrete to create structure complementing the rock. For the landscape to the south, we implemented a concrete paver system, inserting different size pavers into the rock. The structure is intended to be accessed from the south side of the lot, experiencing the rock landscape first, giving the users a clear orientation of the space, either to- wards the street or towards the garden. The main program fac- ing the garden side is the kitchen; The northern part of the kitch- en facing the street has an upper level that works as a relaxing space, which sets up a split-level parti for the entire building’s massing. While the southern garden façade is held as trans- parent as possible, the northern street façade’s main elements are Japanese shoji screens. The shoji screens are used to bring privacy into this otherwise not so private glass structure. These translucent screens can now move side to side on three tracks to allow for more control over the openness of the space.

Technical information

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