Atelier Lapidus
Questions of how and why choosing different construction methods are central. Can a simpler solution be made, reducing material and production time? Calculating possible methods based on early thoughts. A not very complicated process that relates to the fact that not many models are made in the early process, it somehow becomes secondary. The importance of structural systems goes beyond efficiency, economy and constructability. More so, it controls the amount of interference.
Atelier Lapidus was conceived as a summer house for a writer and his family. The early stages of the design process began with vignettes visualizing moments of life within a space - A pool as a lake. A floor as a continuation of the ground. A flexible system for shading and outdoor roofs. A dense upper floor. Nature. Writing sitting on the floor, on the bench, on a rock, in a closed room.
The need for a clear and minimal structure was present to allow the life of the building to be unobstructed and untethered.
Following the topography of the site, a concrete base was cast atop the bedrock. Nine steel columns, 6m tall, measuring 70x70mm attached to the base. The façade - constructed of prefabricated massive wooden boards - stabilized the structure together with the upper floor slab. Windows encircle the upper and lower levels and a thin sloped roof encloses the structure. The ground floor supports living without internal hierarchy. The upper floor accommodates the bedrooms and space for privacy. The materiality and characteristics also reiterate the separation of functions - the ground floor is open and vast, using raw, uncovered materials; while the upper floor is dense and private, wrapped in wood for a sense of intimacy. A minimal structural system lets the house become personified by the clients. A sense of complexity and freedom.
