Architectureresidential

aluminum le’ inhabitable

The cold harshness of aluminum takes precedent over wood in this ultra-stark, metallic space in Montreal

Images. Frédéric Bouchard

Architect Jean-Maxime Labrecque project ‘Inhabitable Sculpture’ may appear cold, harsh and metallic at first glance, because that’s how the client intended it. The simple yet unconventional directive from the client was to build a space “that people will find cold” while also experiencing what it might be like to “live in an art gallery.” The client, with either an allergy or aversion to wood or warmer surface treatments, made the decision after her 800 sq.ft. Montreal space was reduced to bare walls, floors and ceilings.

The aluminum modules are more than cold minimalist fare, they fulfill all the home’s space functions
The space is transformable thanks to hidden closets and drawers

After stripping the space to its bare bones, “a delicate multifunctional sculptural piece of furniture made of raw aluminum, inspired by Donald Judd’s work was installed.”

The aluminum modules are more than cold minimalist fare, they in fact fulfill all of the home’s required space functions. The bed, walk-in closet, bookshelf, sofa, counter, stools, kitchen, and storage are all available as part of the functional mandate.

According to the architect, another attribute of this metallic room is the design of a room within a room. A special system of suspended sliding doors provides access to the “corridor of arches”, or walk-in closet as it were. Housing key mechanical and related systems is a technical glass block that contains appliances, storage space and the water heater. The 10 x 10 bathroom, finished in black with huge mirrors, is ominously housed inside an old concrete vault.

This aluminum sculptural project, completed in 2011, although a few years old became a part of this issue as a direct result of its metallic juxtaposition relative to the featured wood projects that populate these digital pages.

Soure: v2com newswire

Angus Mackenzie

Canadian born automotive & architectural photographer. elemente magazine was born in 2006 as a Canadian national design publication . It remains as an online entity.

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