Los Angeles . NYC
Pocket Home
the elements that make this space beautiful.
As designers, we aim to not only preserve these qualities but enhance them. When we envision a home at 454 W 128th St, we imagine an amalgamation of small nooks, lots of light, and a cohabitation of strangers, plants, and existing conditions. As the site is in many ways disconnected from the surrounding housing units, we believe that 454 W 128th St can become a
neighborhood within itself, one that is self-sustaining and adaptable to the ever-changing nature of life.
On a small scale, self-sustaining means the interior finishes are hardy and require minimal upkeep. They are materials like concrete, steel, and hardwoods that can withstand the roughness of day-to-day life within a family nucleus. Adaptability at a small scale means non-prescriptive spaces and architectural elements that can be reconfigured to serve the inhabitants better, such as floor to ceiling sliding and rotating walls. We determine this a primary concern from the understanding that no two families are the same, and no one family remains the same over the span of years.
On a large scale, self-sustaining requires residents across units to develop a sense of community and be willing to work together. This can be encouraged through architectural organization, however, fundamentally it will rest in the hands of the residents. Adaptability at a large scale means clear and accessible horizontal and vertical circulation and various zones of respite and activity. An organization of structures that does not anticipate nor suggest the path that residents may take to traverse the site. In the end, 454 W 128th St does not try to predetermine the use of itself, but encourages the fluid and heterogeneous use by those who live there.