Graduate Aerospace Laboratories | Caltech | Pasadena | California | John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects

Change: Housed in a historically-protected structure originally designed by Bertand Goodhue in 1921, the Graduate Aerospace Laboratories at the California Institute of Technology (GALCIT) has accomplished some of the most revolutionary breakthroughs in the history of aeronautics. This 33,000 square foot renovation of the department’s laboratories, conference rooms, and common spaces acknowledges these past achievements while also suggesting the multitude of exciting directions for its future.

Inspiration: To bring relevance and meaning to the project’s spaces, the design employs some of the same concepts, processes, and sophisticated technologies used in the department’s widely varied and interdisciplinary research. The results are joyful, creative environments that encourage interaction, teamwork, and the free flow of ideas.........more

Institutional Interior Design | Donghia Center | Christoff Finio Architects

location: New York City
date: February 2003
area: 15000 sqft.

A grant by the Angelo Donghia Foundation for a new Materials Study Center for the Interior Design Department at Parsons offered the opportunity to infuse new energy into an uninspired studio space, while providing a new way for students to interact with the materials of their investigations. The center, comprised of a materials gallery and archive, an interactive classroom and a computer lab, was conceived as a transparent island, offering an unmediated relationship between the new center and the studio, students and faculty, public and institution.

Colored resin panels extend from the gallery ceiling, displaying materials for ongoing curated exhibitions. The classroom doubles as a lecture hall and presentation space. Other materials include laser cut, steel powder coated scrim, acid etched glass, stained medium density fiberboard millwork, sanded homasote exhibition walls, and wire-cut foam-formed concrete, found in the new administrative reception area.....more
AIA New York Design Award, Donghia Materials Study Center 2004.

Institutional Interior Design | Heckscher Foundation | New York City | Christoff Finio

location: New York City
date: May 2006
area: 7000 sqft.

This turn of the (previous) century townhouse, designed by Samuel Trowbridge, has been converted into the new headquarters of an established philanthropic children's foundation. The five-story building houses the foundation's administrative offices and provides space for board meetings and conferences. Natural light filters through the building from an uninterrupted vertical slice from the ground level to the roof. Frameless glass panels define the opening, providing a visual and physical connection between floors through the shared space and light. At the rear, a covered terrace has been carved from the formerly enclosed ground level extension....more