The Eagle Warehouse at 28 Old Fulton Street in
Brooklyn Heights is a nineteenth century loft building that was converted to
residential use in the 1970s, incorporating a mix of duplexes and triplexes
each with a unique floor plan. This project encompasses the renovation of a
3,700 sf. residence off of the building’s main lobby, which combines two older,
conventional duplexes into one open, minimalistic space for the new single
family owner.
The
demolition of non load-bearing interior walls revealed the structural shell of
the duplex, and the design was conceived as an intervention within this
existing structure. The formal strategy for this residence was developed around
the interplay of solid and void. At the central structural bay, the floor was
removed at the main level, creating a void outlined by the columns at the
corners and a continuous glass railing. A sculptural spiral staircase occupies
this negative space, which brings light to the recreational spaces at the
cellar level. A counterpoint to the void is provided by an adjacent solid,
which houses the kitchen and bathroom spaces and separates the private bedrooms
from the public areas of the apartment.
On the
main level, the floor was removed at the central structural bay to create a
void that brings daylight into the cellar
level. A sculptural spiral
staircase (constructed using steel and wood) occupies the negative space of the
void, connecting the two levels of the duplex. The kitchen and bathroom spaces
are housed within a central volume, which separates the public and private
areas of the duplex.
This project reinstates and embodies the inherent
industrial character of the Eagle Warehouse building through the creation of an
open floor plan, the exposure of the original brick walls, and the careful use
of industrial materials throughout the duplex. In addition to the exposed
blackened steel, stainless steel, and glass at the central void, rich natural
textures are integrated throughout the space, such as deep oak wood floors and
limestone flooring and slabs.