Suspended in air, the doll house remains a freestanding residence while capitalizing on underutilized urban space. Undeniably frivolous, the Madison Avenue (Doll)House nevertheless contains a kernel of an idea for accommodating growth in rapidly-densifying cities.
Madison Avenue (DOLL) House
Design Team: REX
Location: New York, USA
Status: Completion 2008
Calvin Klein’s Senior Vice President for Creative Services approached REX to design a concept house showcasing pieces from the company’s apparel, accessory, and home lines. The catch: the house would be realized in miniature and displayed in the main window of Calvin Klein’s Madison Avenue store during the 2008-2009 holiday season. REX dubbed this fusion of concept house and doll house a “(Doll)House.”
Design Team: REX
Location: New York, USA
Status: Completion 2008
Calvin Klein’s Senior Vice President for Creative Services approached REX to design a concept house showcasing pieces from the company’s apparel, accessory, and home lines. The catch: the house would be realized in miniature and displayed in the main window of Calvin Klein’s Madison Avenue store during the 2008-2009 holiday season. REX dubbed this fusion of concept house and doll house a “(Doll)House.”
A response to two markedly different scales and purposes, the (Doll)House had to reconcile—in one design—the contradictory constraints of a concept house and a doll house. By siting the concept house in the ‘landscape’ above a Manhattan intersection, the competing demands of the two scales begins to reconcile. The conflicting constraints that remained unresolved by the selection of the concept house’s site are reconciled by the (Doll)House’s design itself. The design begins as four, minimalist floor plates (dining room, living room, bedroom, and rooftop pool terrace) following the precedent set for Calvin Klein by John Pawson, the store’s designer.
The plates are then shifted to maximize visibility into the doll house, and to provide views out for the imagined occupant of the concept house.
To balance the opposing desires for views and privacy, the (Doll)House is wrapped in a cocoon of
translucent white textile. Conceptually, this fabric layer operates as a sunshade, outboard of a glass façade.
The interiors and roof terrace are furnished with miniature replicas of pieces from the company’s apparel, accessory, and home lines. These items were designed by the company’s creative directors: Francisco Costa, Calvin Klein Collection for Women; Italo Zucchelli, Calvin Klein Collection for Men; Ulrich Grimm, Calvin Klein Shoes & Accessories; and, Amy Mellen, Calvin Klein Home.
Meanwhile, elevated and freestanding within the storefront, the doll house can be seen closely in the round and from afar, and can be opened from all sides for play.
via REX
The plates are then shifted to maximize visibility into the doll house, and to provide views out for the imagined occupant of the concept house.
To balance the opposing desires for views and privacy, the (Doll)House is wrapped in a cocoon of
translucent white textile. Conceptually, this fabric layer operates as a sunshade, outboard of a glass façade.
The interiors and roof terrace are furnished with miniature replicas of pieces from the company’s apparel, accessory, and home lines. These items were designed by the company’s creative directors: Francisco Costa, Calvin Klein Collection for Women; Italo Zucchelli, Calvin Klein Collection for Men; Ulrich Grimm, Calvin Klein Shoes & Accessories; and, Amy Mellen, Calvin Klein Home.
Meanwhile, elevated and freestanding within the storefront, the doll house can be seen closely in the round and from afar, and can be opened from all sides for play.
via REX
3 comments:
Reminds me of a project that I did in arch school for a kid's playhouse. http://www.flickr.com/photos/twoeightnine/sets/213925/
The Doll house in Madison square is a piece of wonder and astonishment. It is designed so beautiful and wonderful. It is an excellent piece of modern architecture.
I have seen this Madison residence as well and it is indeed, undeniably frivolous in a carefree and unconcerned way....but not in a useless architectural manner. Very cool pad......the moment you see and absorb it, the future of metropolitan living over the next 300-500 years hits you, and you want to be around to see it......and live in it. My mortality hit me within 30 seconds of observing it.
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