Established in 2004, Raad Studio is a New York-based architecture firm that works on the philosophy of exemplifying the practice of implementing innovative and sustainable design solutions through the process of construction. They have a distinct style statement that emphasizes the ‘materiality, joinery and details of design’.
They believe in working closely with the builders as well as clients, where the end product of design is a conscious amalgamation of functional and structural requirements with a modern aesthetic.
Here is a list of 15 notable projects by the firm:
1. The Lowline
Location: New York
Type: Subterranean park
An exploration of the applications of advanced solar technologies, the project seeks to transform an abandoned trolley terminal into an underground, green public space. The proposal is a paradigm for the adaptive reuse of underground spaces thus bridging the gap between the past and the future through the use of innovation and science.
2. Franklin Street
Location: Franklin Street, Manhattan, New York
Type: Apartment
A renovation and unification of two adjoining lofts, with an exposed brick arcade as the focal point between the two, the project is a five-bedroom apartment for a family, in the Tribeca neighbourhood of New York. The arched wall acts as a portal between the public and private spaces thus instilling a sense of discovery and mystery, as one traverses from within.
3. New York Loft
Location: 240 Centre Street, Manhattan
Type: Apartment
A redesign of one of the most enigmatic buildings of New York City, the design of the loft embraces its former rugged beauty while simultaneously exhibiting a subtle modern look, thus, highlighting a beautiful contrast between the two.
The most eye-catching detail is the exquisite wooden arched ceiling in the master bedroom, which features wedged-shaped skylights, open shelves and white contemporary built-ins around the lower half of the circular room.
4. Beach House
Location: New Jersey
Type: House
A coherent composition of two rectangular volumes stacked atop each other, the elevated house utilizes the idea of a dune-scape with two built-in penetrations within that serve as a channel to allow the flow of stormwater during excessive rainfalls.
Thus, the project celebrates the coalescence of landscape and architecture to overcome the site’s vulnerability to flooding.
5. Pacific House
Location: Los Angeles, California
Type: House
Perched on a ridge in LA, boasting panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean, the house blends seamlessly with the landscape by breaking down the various volumes and turning the sloping meadows into intermediate courtyards and amphitheatre.
6. Soho Penthouse
Location: West Broadway, Manhattan, New York
Type: Rooftop apartment
Set atop an old, factory building in Soho, the penthouse celebrates the elements of light, air, water and greenery, creating a pleasant retreat amidst the dense urban fabric of New York. It comprises a glass pavilion that effortlessly blurs the boundaries between the outside and inside.
7. Tribeca Loft
Location: 39, White Street, New York
Type: Apartment
Located within a 19th-century building, the loft was designed as the home of James Ramsay, the founder of Raad Studio. The apartment was revamped to juxtapose clean, contemporary spaces over the original historical framework thus retaining the vintage character through exposed beams, tin ceilings and old windows while the white walls, stainless steel and oak flooring give a warm modernist feel to it.
8. Greenwich Village Loft
Location: Greenwich Village, New York
Type: Apartment
The interesting use of materials and efficient use of space define this loft, which was designed for a young family. The creative interplay and placement of materials, give a characteristic look to every space, thus highlighting its function.
9. Gowanus Townhouse
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Type: House
A sculptural intervention within the house, taking inspiration from the concept of life and growth, the design came forth as a collaboration with the client (an artist) and sets an example for the phrase ‘home as a sanctuary’. A curvilinear, white, ‘bubble’ protrudes from the wall, which serves as a hideout for the artist, a space for solitude that expresses the client’s feelings and emotions.
10. The Strand
Location: London
Type: Public Space
A conceptual alternative approach towards treating old, dilapidated Brutalist buildings, the proposed design aims to revamp the weathered, concrete blocks by eliminating large voids from within and creating public, green spaces thus knitting the historical fabric into the spatial realm of the building.
11. Brooklyn Hotel
Location: Brooklyn
Type: Hospitality
An ode to materiality, textures and local artefacts, the boutique hotel is an ingenious expression of the surrounding construction plots, where the negative spaces are reimagined as winding gardens. The monotonous, rectilinear block which doesn’t seem alluring at the first glance hides a series of dramatic volumes manifested against smaller, hidden spaces that are waiting to be explored.
12. Upper West Side Pre-war
Location: 440, Riverside Drive
Type: Apartment
A vigorous fusion of contemporary design and pre-war details, the apartment was carefully designed for a close family to create spaces that encourage interaction amongst the residents.
13. Bushwick Development
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Type: Mixed-Use
Located in one of New York’s most promising neighbourhoods, the project reuses a large, windowless brutalist building by completely transforming it through methodical insertions such as courtyards and lightwells sunk into space, a massive rooftop urban farm and hotel facilities, thus creating a social hub within the dense fabric of the city.
14. Paddington
Location: London
Type: Public Space
Utilizing a dull, disused space underneath one of London’s largest highways, the concept proposes the use of an advanced technology that creates a ripple effect on the reflective canopy, scattering light into the area below, inducing life into it, thus creating a vibrant urban space.
15. Playa Grande
Location: Playa Grande, Dominican Republican
Type: Residential
A series of open-air, placid houses, strategically placed to respect the existing terrain and topography where the boulders and trees are integrated into the design as a structural reinforcement, thus fostering a symbiotic relationship between the built and unbuilt.
