A line of existing columns, 18 feet from the south façade, articulates the main circulation gallery. A second circulation zone, visual and actual, parallel to and along the south window wall, accesses more private spaces – study, master bedroom suite and master bath – through a sequence of thick wall niches that accommodate sliding steel and patterned glass doors for privacy.

The ceiling height to the underside of the slab is 9’10” Existing beams form a second ceiling layer and are the primary referential horizontal graphic through the entire space. Three ceiling/wall heights below the beams establish datums for primary and secondary walls, which do not engage the ceiling, but float below exaggerating the illusion of a higher space. These varying ceiling heights afford opportunities to conceal ambient indirect lighting, as well as air-conditioning ducts and grilles, and preserve the overall spatial continuity.

The loft is a three-dimensional reinterpretation of a Mondrian; it is an architecture that is at once articulate, graphic, sublime, and calm. It is a space conceived as an “excavation,” a carving away that results in an essentialness that is inherently sculptural – light filled, dense and sequential, where nothing is added or redundant.

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A binuclear plan, anchored by the entry gallery, created two zones—public and private. The living/dining space, separated by a floating cabinet, extends the gallery to the south. The widened circulation space/playroom extends the entry to the north and accesses the master bedroom and library suite, the three children’s rooms, the kitchen, the breakfast room, and staff bedrooms.

Changes in ceiling height, variations in floor materials, built-in cabinetwork, and the use of color and mirrors, add a complexity and sense of spatial transformation that was an elaboration of previous explorations.

The ground floor level includes existing and new commercial spaces and a new two-story residential lobby on 58th Street. Basement spaces include an exercise suite as well as tenant and commercial storage and utility spaces.

Exterior modifications to the existing building include the addition of a double height window openings at the intersection of 58th Street and Avenue of the Americas.

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The 114,000 sf Brutalist building, which is constructed of cast-in-place concrete, has a total of 37 different levels on nine floors, two below grade, and is a cornerstone of Yale’s vibrant arts campus. As a result of a 1996 planning study, Yale University decided to undertake the exterior and interior renovation of the structure along with the addition of a seven-story History of Art Building that allows for an expanded Art and Architecture Library, classrooms, seminar rooms, lecture halls, faculty offices, lounge, and public café. The project received LEED Gold certification.The design results from the integration of programmatic, structural and mechanical needs. It includes the restoration of exterior walls; the installation of historically correct windows; and upgrades to all building facilities including the exhibition gallery, jury and studio spaces; study areas; and administrative and faculty offices. It also introduces new lighting and furnishings throughout and brings the structure into compliance with current building and fire code regulations. The new 87,000 sf Jeffrey H. Loria Center for the History of Art, while an addition, is designed to present its own iconic presence in the overall composition. Its main volume is clad in limestone and zinc panels, with the intersections to the Rudolph Building rendered in glass and aluminum panels, thus reinforcing both the integration and articulation of the two structures. This extraordinary project represents the culmination of Charles Gwathmey’s forty-five year relationship with the university’s School of Architecture. Paul Rudolph was its chairman during Mr. Gwathmey’s studies and also became his mentor. Download project pdf for more information

The architecture became less primary, acting more as a background to the furniture and artwork. Revisiting this apartment allowed us to evaluate an earlier period of work and refine it in response to a new and more specific set of issues. The primary new element—an abstracted portico, engaging two existing columns—marks the transition from the entry gallery to the living/dining space.

The most important design gesture was to vary the ceiling heights, creating plaster canopies and sloping and curving sections, as well as angling many of the plaster walls around the perimeter of the apartment. Custom cabinetry has been designed, some in deep cherry and other sections in a light steamed beech. Gridded paneling in beech covers entire walls, with cherry reserved for smaller pieces that, while built-in, are more like furniture.

Brand new spaces include a kitchen and dining area in the place of the old kitchen and a small bath; and a study/guest bedroom where a second bedroom used to be. The floors are mostly cherry, except for the entrance hall, the kitchen and the baths, which are of gray Swiss sandstone. In part of the living area, the floor is a pale maple to emphasize the sense of lightness and openness to the park and skyline views.

The entire apartment is designed in a classically formal style that is hospitable to a variety of early twentieth century furniture. They are upholstered in textured fabrics that give the spaces an additional layer of interest.