Renovations

It’s a cold February morning and two architects visit a dark, dank and rather unsatisfying office | industrial unit as a potential first studio for a fledgling practice. Having laid empty for 2 years it wasn’t attracting the attention that the landlord wished but beneath the shoddy interior there was hope, there was potential. Here we outline the project that became the wr-ap studio. Ben Tynegate An approach of less is more was adopted. All internal walls were removed, clumsy load bearing walls to support an inefficient mezzanine were removed. Outdated and unhygienic kitchen area and toilet facilities were removed. Yet not all was lost – the existing timber staircase was retained for reuse in the new configuration. T... More

The complex was designed between 1929 and 1932 by the architect Alphonse Laverrière and has been listed in note 1 of the inventory of historic monuments since 1992. Joël Tettamanti The renovation and upgrading to safety standards of this emblematic building called for advanced skills in the field of renovation, transformation and sanitation. Joël Tettamanti It also required specific skills for the promotion (marketing) of complex surfaces located in difficult areas, architectural sensitivity to the construction methods and design of the 1930s, and finesse in site management given its central location. CCHE CCHE More

Epic Investment Services commissioned me to photograph the renovation of the lobby at 33 Bloor Street East in Toronto, 30 years after the building first opened. The renovationr reimagined the lobby, as well as the retail spaces.    It was important to capture the various aspects of the renovation: frontage on two different streets, retail spaces, main lobby, and elevator lobby. Highlighting the features of the spaces was key, as well as the different connections: two street entrances, one neighboring building and the subway stop entrance. The sculptural ceiling was also great to get some graphic details hots.   Photographing an office building lobby during the COVID pandemic was challenging. We had to bring a few models f... More

Room A is refurbishment of an attic on the garage in Kurosaki, Niigata, Japan. It was required to be an independent living environment as an extension of existing house built 60 years ago. The attic was renovated to a LDK space by making good use of the characteristic of the existing structure: broad space under the existing steel beam.The heart of the house is a kitchen counter made of the quartz stone. It has been installed on the place where we obtain the pleasant view along the highline of the bullet train through the window. By choosing a life style without dining table, The kitchen counter becomes the place for cooking, eating, working and more use.Kitchen, pantry and wall storage, functional part of the house, are put all together on... More

The project which is called “Bahar”is a different laboratory in the west of Tehran. It could be claimed that for the first time in our country, A specialized laboratory was designed with an architectural perspective. This project responds  all needs of it.   The project which is called “Bahar”is a different laboratory in the west of Tehran. It could be claimed that for the first time in our country, A specialized laboratory was designed with an architectural perspective. This project responds  all needs of its customers. In this project we face two groups of employees and clients.users of this space include adults, the disabled and children that a space is designed to meet their needs separately. The... More

In the international discourse on contemporary architecture it seems to be evident that intervention into historic buildings is always a sensitive issue. This is particularly the case when the project is not only a simple renovation, but there are alterations or additions to the original building – it is always difficult to find the balance between past and present, between the attitude of sheer preservation of a monument and the voice of contemporary architecture. Additions copying eariler times and contemporary impacts that ignore their context are the two extremities to avoid – the desireable solution lies somewhere in between. There is no ultimate recipe, the questions need to be asked and answered in every particular case. 3H architerc... More

As the requirement of the owner, an aged apartment on Sukhumvit 23 road, in the heart of Bangkok, Thailand, has been renovated into a seven-storey hotel named ‘TwoThree Hotel’. The small dimensions of the apartment rooms and their windows were found to be the major issue in the existing building since this resulted in the uncomfortable rooms with insufficient daylight.To improve the existing deficient spaces, the architect decided to expand the room sizes and openings simultaneously to generate larger, brighter and more functional hotel rooms. In doing so, each former unused balcony is now playing a new role as an interior daybed corner.However, there are also constraints in the small land area and building regulation as the distances betwe... More

On an elevated site, Milstein Family Heart Center bows gently outward toward the view, drawing attention to the extraordinary landscape of the Hudson River and New Jersey Palisades beyond.Despite the necessary density of the plan, natural light is plentifully present in the interior. With its flanking neighbors, the new building reads as part of an ensemble of different but complementary parts.Diagnostics, ambulatory surgery, cardiac catheterization laboratories, medical practice suites, critical care units, and an education/conference center have been added to the existing facility. The continuity of medical departments and functional synergies are facilitated with multi-level connection. The resulting seamless complex provides an exceptio... More

The expansion of Cornell University’s iconic 1973 museum, also designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, achieves its own presence without diminishing the authority of the original building.Retaining the buff-colored, architectural board-formed concrete of the earlier structure, the addition establishes a clear visual connection with its predecessor while affirming its independent identity. The new building houses the museum’s significant Asian art collection and includes a 150-seat lecture room, art studio, galleries, administrative space, and a large art-storage area. In quiet contrast to its monumental neighbor, the 17,200-square-foot addition is integrated into a sloping swath of lawn north of the existing museum. More

This project involved combining two 12th floor units into one expansive corner condominium and maximizing the uninterrupted views of the ocean. This was achieved by eliminating the existing partitions and walls, which dramatically changed the space, giving expansive ocean views from all rooms, even including bathrooms and closets.Subtle hues and soft materials create a tranquil setting complementary of the site’s natural splendor. The walls and counters are of warm white Calacatta marble. A bleached French walnut kitchen separates the dining and living areas. Hints of gold in the living room, soft purple in the dining room, and light blues in the master suite echo the hues of the sky at different times of day as seen through the floor-to-ce... More

THESE ORIGINAL SINGLE FRONTED VICTORIAN TERRACES IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF BRUNSWICK WHILE DIFFERENT IN STYLE, ARE OTHERWISE SIMILAR IN THEIR SCALE, MATERIALS, AND SETBACK. THIS STREET, COMPRISES AN ATTACHED ROW OF FIVE VICTORIAN BRICK SINGLE STOREY HOUSES.THE ORIGINAL FRONT PART OF OUR CLIENT’S HOUSE CONSISTS OF A CORRIDOR ON THE NORTHERN SIDE WITH ACCESS TO THE TWO BEDROOMS ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE. THE REAR PART HOUSES THE LIVING AND DINING ROOM AND WAS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN AN EXTENSION ADDED AT A LATER STAGE.THEN THE KITCHEN AND BATHROOM UNDER THE SKILLION ROOF INCLUDING THE REAR DETACHED METAL CLADDED GARAGE WERE ADDED AFTER A PERIOD OF TIME. THE ORIGINAL LAYOUT OF THE MAIN DWELLING DID NOT INCLUDE ANY INTERNAL WC AND LAUNDRY WHEN IT WAS OR... More

Frantseska Tsebeli, was born in 1978 and she is Greek-Italian. She studied interior design at the Art Institute of Sicily, Italy and European Interior Design in Rome. She has also completed a 4-year course as master carpenter. She speaks Greek, Italian and English. While the majority of the buildings she has designed are in Greece, Frantseska is particularly known to collect influences from traveling around the globe and putting them together inside her works. In the last decade, she has extensively traveled to Asia, Europe and Africa, reading and absorbing architecture firsthand. Frantseska collaborates with her father, Nikos Tsebelis, who is a professional architect since 1972. Nikos Tsebelis has been her mentor and trainer for man... More

Frantseska Tsebeli, was born in 1978 and she is Greek-Italian. She studied interior design at the Art Institute of Sicily, Italy and European Interior Design in Rome. She has also completed a 4-year course as master carpenter. She speaks Greek, Italian and English. While the majority of the buildings she has designed are in Greece, Frantseska is particularly known to collect influences from traveling around the globe and putting them together inside her works. In the last decade, she has extensively traveled to Asia, Europe and Africa, reading and absorbing architecture firsthand. Frantseska collaborates with her father, Nikos Tsebelis, who is a professional architect since 1972. Nikos Tsebelis has been her mentor and trainer for man... More