To make a small space work, it's essential to have one excellent space that can be converted to various uses - the oval is a terrific shape because it has no visual axis so that each part can be its own focus - it also is a large visual space with a small footprint - thus, the corners are available for other uses - all especially important to squeeze this big program into such a tiny space.
The apartment is entered through a redesigned doorway of two doors opening out which brings the thickness of the wall inside - directly ahead are three five inch steps (1.25dm) so you can sit upon the top one and take off your shoes - the steps immediately under you swing up to store the shoes.- to the right is a Powder Room with a wc and a lavatory and storage cabs -to the left is a storage closet for coats and bikes etc.
At the top of the steps is an interior door that swings against the closet to shield it when the Foyer is in use - the door also acts as an air lock and sound attenuation and insulation.
Pass through this interior door and you are immediately in the Grand Salon - to your left are the street windows facing east - which seem far away because of the false perspective of the oval shape, but they light up the room especially with the morning sun - and in the evening the sun is reflected off the buildings across the street.
The larger window on your right is configured as a bay window which enhances interior space - beyond is another bay extending beyond the building line (just like the fire escape) to capture overhead sun by its glass roof forming a greenhouse for home grown vegetable or flowers that filter the view through their foliage, softening the harsh edges of the city. Various configurations of openings to the greenhouse serve to:1. In winter the sun will heat the bricks soil and plants warming the apartment - at night the heat retained in them will reduce the heat loss as will the air space between the two walls of glass. 2. In summer, air enters at the bottom and escapes through the top evaporating the moisture on the plants and in the soil cooling them, lessening the heat gain.3. In spring and fall some combinations of the above freshen the interior air and absorb carbon and provide oxygen.4.Within each greenhouse are glass tubes with spiral vanes within them - as the air within heats up from sunlight and the heat of city life it will rise, turning the vanes which are connected to electric generators. The vanes will also be turned by the wind acting on the entry and exit louvres.5. The greenhouses provide space for compost beds that can rot outside the interior air of the apartment.5. Incoming and exhaust air exchange temperatures via special ducting about the greenhouses to be experimented with as prototype for making all city windows sustainable.6. The sunlight moves the water in the plants trickle irrigation system and its heat assists the compost action. (The physics are beyond my pay grade - but I know that harnessing the suns energy is old technology to make the greenhouses solar generators and feeding and waste disposal machines.
Sitting between the windows is a grand piano nestled up to a built in settee - over which is hung a major piece of art. - the effect of the light reflecting off the piano is breathtaking!
To your left on the long (north) side of the oval is a compact fireplace flanked by bookshelves with cabinets below - the parti specified everything be hidden and everything electronic but that is shortsighted - books have always been treasures and will remain so - the tactile feeling and marking up and bending the pages and ease of reference can not be equaled by the touch screen - besides, they make a great wall texture and have a scale that is hard to equal - especially important to the quality of space ant the life in that space. (but the shelves could be covered with the tambour doors of the other cabinetry, if it really was an issue - beside bookcases look great and give wonderful scale so necessary for small spaces.
The bookcase on the right swings out to reveal a secret compartment as asked for in the parti.
The fireplace is envisioned as a compact high combustion low emission that works in connection with a waste removal incineration system to be researched and implemented. The hall adjacent can readily provide flue space to the roof with no interference with function. And there are times on cold raw wintery days when a roaring, crackling, hot fire is just one of those life-satisfying moments that make an apartment a home.
Above the fireplace mantel is the flat screen TV out of which may grow multiple screens as broadcast and internet and communications merge. On each side of the fireplace under the bookcases are two easy chairs.
On the south side of the oval opposite the fireplace is a built-in couch with end tables that have storage below. The couch is actually the foot of the owner's bed that slides out from the wall with the back of the couch becoming its headboard with the storage area of the end tables used for alarm clock an other bedside paraphernalia. The headboard flips out to reveal pillows and extra blankets stored within.
In the center of the room sits a large 42" square coffee table - which lowers flush with the floor to allow the bed to roll out.
The same table also rises to dining height - the table has two tops, one of which flips open and rests upon the built-in dining table directly west; together they seat twelve comfortably for dinner - the bed pulls out to the table (2), the two easy chairs are pulled up as is the piano bench and the other two chairs in the apartment add seven places to the five already there = 12. The piano is rolled out of the way extending over the settee to allow walk-around space.
The built-in dining table top flip in half to reveal storage space in the center for table linens, candlesticks, serving dishes vases pepper mills - all the stuff of dinner parties. Both tables also rise to 36" counter height to act as work table or buffet or to combine as an immense worktable for special projects. They allow great flexibility - dining table raised to buffet as server for dinner for 6 around the coffee table or coffee table raised for hors d'oeuvres and the dining table set for eight of for a cocktail party; and then the coffee table is set flush with the floor for after dinner dancing.
The coffee table has another secret - the center of it s tops swing uop ot reveal and exercise machine in the floor below that extend up to form a seat with moveable handles like ski poles - the handles work in conjunction with pedals below to power a huge flywheel build into the floor encase in hagnetic bearings so ther is no noise or vibration - working the pedals and handles make the flywheel move and store the energy which is then converted into electricity as needed to power the apartment - say 30 minute workout for a days power - together with the other power sources, the apartment will be completely self-sufficient - if power exceeds the safe capacity of the flywheel, it can be sold into the power grid - and on off peak lazy days flywheel can be recharged from the grid.
And now for the fun part - on the west wall directly behind the dining table two doors open to reveal a hot tub sunk into the floor beyond the tub is a bay window greenhouse the same as the window on the street side (the funny nonstructural brick notch is removed) - cascading down the entire front of the window is a waterfall falling out of the ceiling down into the hot tub - at certain times of the year the sunsets flowing through the greenhouse foliage and the water falling will be an incredible sight. The noise of the falls will mask the sounds of the city without bothering the neighbors - diagonal beams above the floor support the weight of the full hot tub. The tub also has shower and steam capabilities.
Next to the hot tub a tambour door slides open to reveal a private lavatory for the owner housing personal toiletries, medicines etc. The wall between this spa and the kitchen is designed to conceal the soil and vent pipes for the apartments above.
The south side of the apartment shows the kitchen with its own greenhouse window, a dressing space with clothes on a wheel above the pull out bed storage space and a large office and workplace overlooking the street greenhouse.
The cork wall above the desk is the bottom of a guest bunk that folds down above the desk; another guest bed is stowed upright on the wall next to the fire escape window and that folds out over the piano and settee. Folding walls and tambour partitions combine to create three separate spaces for selling with each space having access to the bathrooms and kitchen and entrance door without disturbing the others.
The design is similar to that found on fine sailing yachts - a grand central salon that converts to other uses with ancillary support spaces.
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