21 October 2016

Blueprint Awards 2016: The winners

Best Small Project

Winner: Davidson Rafailidis, USA
He, She & It, Buffalo, USA

He, She & It, Buffalo, USA

Judges’ Comments

‘Beautifully conceived for three different functions – low budget but high design’ Amanda Levete

‘A small space for an extremely complex program. The simple solution is immaculately done’ Lyndon Neri

He, She & It is a collection of three distinct buildings for three different spatial needs, collaged into a single structure. The 1500 sq ft building houses work spaces for a painter, a ceramist/silversmith, and a greenhouse. Grouped to form a cluster of three mono-pitched sheds, each space offers a unique atmosphere which differs radically from the others and reflects their respective uses.

The artist’s studio is a top-lit white box with no windows, while the ceramicist’s workspace is clad in maple and has large windows with generous views. The greenhouse is made of a polycarbonate shell, offering an almost outdoor space without any direct views. Folding sliding doors enable the users to either divide the space into three rooms or open the space entirely.

While they are three distinct volumes, they depend on one another climatically. Instead of being heated or cooled mechanically, the building adapts spatially to the seasons. Each space offers a different climatic barrier. On cold days, for example, the sliding folding partition can be opened up to let the solar gain from the greenhouse contribute to the heat of the whole building. In summer, the vent of the greenhouse is opened up, transforming the greenhouse into a solar chimney that creates constant draft through the building even on stagnant, hot days.

Says Rafailidis: ‘Built with modest, low-cost materials and construction methods, the spatial arrangement offers a complex set of experiences that are rich at the spatial and textural scales; the interior world of the workspaces draws the users in and provides them with a retreat from the outside world.’