He, She & It

He, She & It is a collection of three distinct buildings for three different spatial needs, collaged into a single structure.

The 140 sqm building houses work spaces for a painter, a ceramist/silversmith, and a greenhouse. Each space offers an atmosphere which differs radically from the others. The distinct atmospheres of the spaces reflect not only their respective uses, but also, the predilections of the clients.

He is a painter. His studio is a white box. There are no windows in his work space; it is exclusively top-lit, offering even and indirect, natural light, and maximizing the wall surface area for painting. She is a ceramist and a silversmith. Her work space has dedicated areas for both messy, wet ceramic work and delicate jewelry-making. Her space offers large windows with generous views and dramatic lighting, ranging from dimly-lit areas to very bright desk areas. Her studio is lined entirely
with soft, soaped, maple, preserving its intense, raw wood smell. It (they) consists of seedlings in spring and plants in winter – clients with a very simple wish for maximum light and yearround above-freezing temperatures. The polycarbonate shell is translucent, offering a zone of almost-outdoor space to the two other work spaces, without any direct views.

The climate conditioning strategy underscores the dynamic spatial experience and the constant redefinition of space. Each space offers a different climatic barrier. The insulated interior sliding-folding doors and exterior operable openings have to be used to adjust the space to different weather conditions. Contrary to common climate control practices that seal the interior space as much as possible from the exterior and use mechanical services to create an artificial indoor climate in summer as in winter, He, She & It adapts spatially to the seasons instead of mechanically. In cold and sunny winter days, for example, the sliding folding partition walls are opened up to let the solar gain from the greenhouse contribute heat to the whole building. On cloudy cold winter days and winter nights, the insulated partition walls need to be closed to shrink the overall heated volume. In summer, the continuous ridge vent of the greenhouse is opened-up, transforming the greenhouse into a solar chimney that creates constant draft throughout the building even on stagnant, hot days.

He, She & It, Buffalo, NY, USA
Program: artist studio
Architects: Davidson Rafailidis
Area: 140 sqm
Cost: 150,000 $
Completion: 2016