Aniket Shahane of OA muses, “...the building becomes much more an active participant in the lifecycle of its inhabitants, encouraging them to stay longer, maintain their property, and contribute to a culture that is truly sustainable.”
Architect Office of ArchitectureThere is something poetic about carefully planning a home to be lived in until old age. Nestled in a dense Brooklyn neighborhood, the homeowners of this neatly programmed residence wanted to invest in a home and a neighborhood for the longterm. “When we were approached by our clients to gut renovate and add to a 110 year old row house, our goal was to create a home that could adapt to the anticipated changes in their lifestyle instead of the reverse,” explains Aniket Shahane, Principal Architect of Brooklyn based Office of Architecture. Approximately 70% of the building can be used as a 2 bedroom/2 bath unit, while the remaining 30% of the building is given over to a 1 bedroom/1 bath unit. Depending on their priorities at any given time, the owners have the option to occupy one of the units themselves, while using the other for rental income, or to combine both units to create a 2,100 square-foot one-family home for themselves. In this way, the space can adjust to the spatial requirements of a young couple, a family of four, and eventually empty nesters. The house’s elegantly spare aesthetic, much like its classic form, is meant to absorb change.
