Inverted Townhouse Creates Interior Garden Space by Cutting into the Center of a Tribeca Warehouse

Set within a large space in <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/listing/terroir-tribeca/" target="_blank">Tribeca </a>occupied by a former <a href="http://inhabitat.com/digitas-decks-out-inspiring-chicago-office-with-salvaged-factory-materials-and-urban-graffiti/" target="_blank">warehouse</a>, an innovative townhouse creates light and outdoor space where there once was none. Designed by <a href="http://www.dean-wolf.com/" target="_blank">Dean/Wolf Architects</a>, the Inverted Warehouse/Townhouse delves into the center of an existing converted loft space. The creative design plunks a townhouse in the middle of a sprawling warehouse space, complete with <a href="http://inhabitat.com/sou-fujimotos-house-n-captures-sunlight-and-fresh-air-in-a-series-of-nested-boxes/" target="_blank">“garden” areas</a> that would otherwise not be possible on the street.

As if carved out within the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/stockholm-warehouse-transformed-into-innovative-school-using-recycled-materials/" target="_blank">walls of the warehouse</a>, the Inverted Warehouse/Townhouse is truly inspiring and innovative. The block long warehouse, although converted to lofts, had very few options for architectural variation other than open, dark spaces.

The <a href="http://inhabitat.com/wtarch-transforms-a-small-garage-into-a-twisting-multi-floor-duplex-residence/" target="_blank">interior living quarters</a> are placed within the warehouse shell, while a three story segmented “hole” (basically the inverted shape of a townhouse) is glassed in to provide the residents with sky light and organized outdoor space.

A reading court is sectioned off for quiet contemplation, an exterior terrace gives a back yard feel, and a playroom gives the client’s children a place to play in fresh air, while also protected within the home.

The three story <a href="http://inhabitat.com/shigeru-ban-unveils-plans-for-a-naturally-daylit-art-museum-for-aspen/" target="_blank">glass curtains flood the loft with light</a>, and are divided into various “gardens.”

The walls of the “outdoor” spaces are lined with large weathered <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weathering_steel" target="_blank">Cor-ten steel</a>, a material that emulates the timeless public artworks around Lower Manhattan and also offers stability and texture to the outdoor areas.

The courtyard is lined with silicone-glazed glass, flooding the interior with light, but also preventing solar gain. The glass courtyard reaches up to the roof, where it meets a roof garden. The <a href="http://inhabitat.com/iwamotoscott-transforms-1940s-warehouse-into-a-gorgeous-modern-office-space/" target="_blank">Inverted Warehouse/Townhouse</a> is one of the most innovative redesigns for a loft space that we’ve seen yet.