Bulwer Residence
Environmental
Designed for a client formerly in the military living with PTSD, the goal was to create a space that explored the relationship between public and private space mediated by a sculptural screen system.
The goal was to create a space that provided a sense of security and felt like a home without isolating it's inhabitants from the outside world. The design maintains the shell of the existing building on the site, while augmenting that structure with selective apertures. These apertures function as portals to the outside world and are screened by sculptural wooden fences. These fences function as sensory buffers and serve functional and aesthetic purposes.
Conceptual Development
The conceptual exploration and development phase of this project allowed me to establish a visual language that could better represent the client's unique needs. Geometrically the project can be categorized into two distinct formal categories; rigid rectilinear forms and soft organic forms.
In the concept model above layering and contouring are used as a means of combining the two distinct formal categories into a cohesive object. Soft organic forms are rationalized onto planar surfaces with rigid rectilinear boundaries to create an embedded ghosted image. Which shifts from visible to invisible depending on the angle between the viewers line of sight and the object.
Residence Exterior
The buffer zones are located along the perimeter of the site allowing for some of the exterior spaces along the alleyways to be reclaimed and used. By reclaiming this space greenery and softscaping can be added to soften the harsh surfaces of the surrounding area. The organic form of the slat screen further softens the exterior by turning a planar surface into a sculptural piece of art. The artistic qualities of the fence allow it to be a useful buffer for the client while becoming a point of intrigue for other people that pass by the residence.
Residence Interior
In the interior space there was a level of sensitivity required to create spaces that would feel protected and safe without becoming dark and isolating. Large apertures were placed carefully in relation to the surrounding site conditions to allow for plenty natural light to penetrate the space, brining in a sense of warmth and light.
The apertures span from floor to ceiling and are layered with the organic sculptural screen structures that allow light to filter though. These screens also provide visual protection by distorting the view into the space as the viewer moves around the screens.