Adaptive re-use is the ultimate recycle and reuse of historic buildings taking something that no longer has use or function in its current state and making it purposeful again. Our friends at 6sqft just shared with us a great example of transforming a tired space by making it current and relevant again. Architect Andrew Franz, principal of design firm Andrew Franz Architect, PLLC recently completed an interior redesign project that took an old historic soap factory in Tribeca and turned it into a modern living space that exudes the charm of yesteryear while also adding modern yet classic elements that will be sure to keep this building front and center for years to come.
Franz is known for his modern (not minimalist) nature-inspired designs and Franz certainly injected his signature aesthetic into this 19th century Manhattan soap factory. Franz’s goal for this project was to bring the outdoors inside the space of this Romanesque Revival building creating a mid-century feel to the interior while also highlighting as much of the original structure as possible. By combining clean uncluttered lines with open spaces while highlighting the building’s rustic wooden columns and raw brick walls, Franz has created an inviting space that celebrates the history of the structure while bringing the space up to today’s standards of function and style.
The interior of this historic building incorporates the existing wooden beams that stand sixteen feet tall and span the height of the exposed brick walls & features handmade tile, mid-century antique furnishings and an open concept design. The center of the living room features a jaw-dropping solarium that streams sunlight throughout the space. The solarium’s glass walls dip into the rectangular-shaped room and provide aerial views of the home’s living area. The floors of the solarium are covered in stone and slate and in the middle of the space rests a small table with leaf-like chairs surrounded by lush greenery to give you an outdoor-like area you can enjoy all year round.
As if that were not enough the building also has a newly designed green roof terrace accessible by the solarium. Wooden steps lead to the roof deck where its occupants can enjoy the lush greenery with its pedestals and pavers of varied succulents and foliage with the addition of a live green wall for added privacy. Franz and his team no doubt did a stellar job at taking an existing structure with character and little natural light and re-designing the space into a light-filled modern day oasis where its occupants can enjoy the outside in the comfort of their home despite the cold temperatures outside. I certainly know where I would like to hang as the warmer weather graces us with its presence and it is most definitely this roof deck.
For more information about Franz and this amazing adaptive re-use click here.
