Project information

• Category: Architecture
• Client: University Project
• Project Year: 2017

A modern rendition of a classic residence with a futuristic touch, purposely designed for a stop-motion animator.

New New York was purely designed as a residence for a stop-motion animator. The house considered: size, area, and facilities are aimed at the upper or middle classes due to the supplies needed to make such a large house.

When designing a house, the stakeholders opinion must be considered such as emotional and sensory appeals as well as current fashion trends. Therefore New – New York incorporates many modern (simplistic) aspects into its style along with a futuristic appeal through its parametric façade. The building takes direct inspiration from the film The Fifth Element and its futuristic New York setting, as the movie depicts a some-what dystopic New York where the city’s architecture hasn’t moved on from the early twentieth century.

A large influence on the design of the house was the overall shape and whether it has a distinguished look and could be differentiated from others. As a result, the house retained the dimensions of a standard New Yorker house whilst integrating the required space for the stop-motion animator. The parametric façade’s purpose was to show a futuristic version of the standard New Yorker house and a tie into Leeloo’s hair.

Internal spacing is another big part of architectural solutions, as by having small areas reduces open spaces and large areas can feel empty. Keeping true to the New Yorker style, a lot of space had to be crammed into a small area. By having a compromise and allowing medium-sized areas in a tall structure, it allows the client to have that open space feeling, especially in the stop-motion studio and master bedroom.