Ramp in raised position. Lowered ramp collapses space of the kitchen and provides access to sleep- ing area above.
These dynamic examples from two Canadian designers illustrate some of the exciting possible solutions to the problem of making flexible, adaptable design for the domestic environment. The shifting interior landscapes and manipulable spaces give us an inkling of the many rich environments we may come to inhabit if we design more dwellings with flexibility in mind: more spaces that can be unmade and remade. Otherwise, we may not be taking full advantage of our living spaces, perhaps like a bed in which we sleep only above the covers. c
Jacques Bilodeau’s Montreal residence and atelier for landscape architect Claude Cormier achieves flexibility both by the use of move- able elements as well as static multivalent constructions that are both furniture and ar- chitecture. One of the more unusual features of this work is the floor/ramp/ceiling that is raised and lowered providing access to the upper sleeping area and collapsing the space of the kitchen. Hydraulic manipulation of this floor is as necessary to living in this space as are eating and sleeping. Other moveable or flexible building elements allow for the manipulation of vertical elements that affect the configuration of the plan. Here, an origi- nal feature changes the building’s section to unique effect. The ambiguity of some of the elements used here is important. A single surface may be a seat, a table, a shelf, or a floor. Flexibility is gained not from motion, but reinterpretation.
Ron Isaac holds degrees in art history, en- vironmental design, and architecture. He currently works as an intern architect with Young + Wright Architects in Toronto.
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