Urban Eco-tecture (continued)
In deference to the building’s history, the original loft would be kept raw, all the scars in the concrete walls on display, the plumbing lines and exposed sprinkler heads retained. “This wasn’t to be a precious space or covered up with pristine Sheetrock,” says Fougeron, who worked with project architect Todd Aranaz. Inside the original shell, the designers would “float” the new elements and treat them with more refined finishes to define them visually.
So the old space has a polished concrete floor, but the floor in the kitchen is poured resin. All the new custom kitchen cabinetry is highly finished (with low-VOC, nontoxic conversion varnish), and the countertops are Carrara marble. Cabinetry in the kitchen, which has a hidden refrigerator and pantry, is below the counters, so there is no impediment to sight lines into or out of the room.
It was agreed that the space was to be unencumbered by such mundane elements as walls. Even in the master suite there are only glass partitions. “When you walk into the place,” Fougeron says, “you can see all four corners of the loft.” Seating arrangements and understated, neutral carpets define different functions, although the kitchen is raised one step to give it even more identity.
The combination of renovation and modern intervention helped make this adaptive-reuse project truly green. “I like the word ‘green’ when it refers to something more than linoleum on the floor,” says Fougeron. “By taking advantage of solar orientation and the use of local materials, green can be woven into the design.”
Subscribe to ELLE DECOR magazine
MORE RENOVATION INSPIRATION ARTICLES
