Little Bohemian Townhouse
This down town Omaha Townhouse located within the Little Bohemian District of Omaha, Nebraska, gestures to the historical context of the site as well as the surrounding elements.
The existing brick structure, originally a shop for an alternator repair shop, stands as an urban archeology, evident from the strata developed through previous acquisitions, reconfigured from a fried chicken restaurant, and bar among others. The project started with the structure been acquired by the Blackthumb Group, a progressive development firm with the goal to develop new, sustainable and architecturally significant project to enrich the arts in the downtown Omaha area. The project was a go when we got up on the roof and looked at the skyline of the city completely unfolded in from of us. The project emphasized the process of subtraction, by removing certain elements in order to attain a habitable space.
By doing so, original elements that were concealed over time, were made seen, and expressed a direct relationship to the project. The front façade, honors the historically, industrious community by revealing the original cast iron beams of the structure. While the northern façade features the original brick work, withstanding since the beginnings of Little Bohemia neighborhood new window frame intentional views of down town. In the interior voids were created at the core, conveying an expression of volume, highlighted through solar illumination located at the apex height of the dwelling and activated by the sculptural "ribbon" of the stairs as it begging at the main level over pantry and twist its way up to the roof top access.
Current contextual context was seen as equally valuable as historical, referencing the natural florae and urban development that have grown in a parallel rhythm to the building. The penthouse, cladded in varying shades of green gestures to the deciduous tree at the front of the residence, and presents an array of green tinges illuminated in differing tones by the seasonal changes. The front balcony was a carful study of the existing south contextual facade bay windows of the adjacent building. the extruded rectangle provides a terminus to the rhythmic bay window and a secluded space among the tree branches. Meanwhile front façade, acknowledging the industrious history of downtown Omaha, features machine-cut perforations, that holds a vertical sequence of apertures lessening as height from street level increases, inspired by the pedestrian and vehicular patters in a north south direction on 13th street. These panels and their rectangular apertures are designed to open up and expose the frontal courtyard to the urban street or close and provide privacy to the frontal enclosure. The rear facade was completely removed. A steel moment frame was design to articulated and staggered the spaces to provide cover an outdoor expansion of the main living space, a private master bedroom balcony and a geometrical volume that houses the master closet and acts a privacy screen for the upper floor.
The roof top terrace access volume was designed in an "L" to provide privacy to the south and full view of down town Omaha. This Town house was designed to entertain, display art and down town living.
Image Credit: © Contrivium Design + Urbanism
