Greenpoint Townhouse

Project Details

Project Description

In 2017, two performance art curators purchased a Greenpoint, Brooklyn townhouse in hopes of establishing the home as their part-time New York City residence. To bring this vision to life, the couple worked with Ula Bochinska of Katz Architecture and Joana Torres of Oficina Design to design their home.

The multi-year renovation reimagines the traditional Brooklyn townhouse layout; the garden-level unit accommodates visiting artists with complete privacy, including a separate entrance from the main residence. The duplex-unit above operates as the couple’s main residence, featuring an open-concept kitchen, living room, dining room, and a private suite with a master bedroom and bathroom. A focal point, the dining room’s expansive solid wood table seats up to 12 guests, providing ample space for the homeowners to host and entertain. Two additional guest rooms and an accompanying bathroom further allow the couple to welcome overnight guests. The layout thoughtfully accommodates the ultimate goal of making the townhouse a comfortable home for two and a hub for visiting artists.

Throughout the interior, biophilic accents capture the essence of the elements such as earth, fire and water, uniquely married with classic New York character. Pops of green are thoughtfully placed within the interior and exterior of the home, giving it a more eclectic yet contemporary aesthetic. To welcome an abundance of natural light into the space, Ula and Joana opened up the property to the backyard through the use of expansive glazing and the Californian-concept Nanawall, an accordion-style glass partition.

A balcony off of the main bedroom provides the homeowners with an additional natural backdrop, lending to ongoing seasonal inspiration for their creative lifestyles and immersing them in nature to offer an escape from the fast pace of city life. Expansive, frameless skylights in all of the duplex-unit bathrooms invite more natural light in to further brighten the space. A secondary theme, the residence features interior details that evoke a sense of worldliness and travel, primarily within the duplex unit, leveraging a traditional Moroccan plastering method called “Tadelakt” that is composed exclusively with natural materials. Throughout the townhouse, visitors will notice unique finishes including reclaimed elm floors and custom pine kitchen cabinets (using repurposed wood from the original home).

One of the townhouse’s most architecturally intriguing components is a continuous winding stair terminating with a ship’s ladder that provides access to the roof. The stair is a sculpturally impressive piece that boasts custom steel railing, guaranteed to catch attention as a highlight of the space. The roof access itself is a massive skylight operable by the push of a button. For the homeowners, the wood-burning fireplaces are another beloved detail. The original house, built in 1901, had four, but only the fireplace in the living room could be preserved throughout the renovation. The white-tiled fireplace offers an industrial edge to the space, as the warmth of the wood is juxtaposed by the steel mantle.

On the exterior, artisanal architecture and the material install of cedar cladding, married with traditional moldings and an intricate entry awning, restores the building back to its former glory, with a front facade that captures a real sense of New York history. The team also successfully preserved and refurbished the home’s original front door. While the property’s rear exterior retains a more modern design identity, cedar is further incorporated, marking a particularly unique element of the project’s architecture; the use of the same material in two completely different styles.

From a sustainability perspective, project collaborators integrated natural materials and eco-friendly features such as rooftop solar panels and wall insulation recycled from denim. Wastewater management was also a primary consideration, and the design team specified a gray-water reclamation system that collects waste water from sinks and showers which is repurposed to flush toilets and feed garden hoses. They also worked with the homeowners to create a “rain garden” in the backyard––this landscaping strategy retains rainwater and releases it slowly into the city’s sewer system to avoid local flooding.

Katz Architecture and Oficina Design reconfigured the 125-year-old property to accommodate the couple’s vision for their future; a comfortable environment that supports daily life as a New York couple.