This 3,700 sf duplex, located in the historic Eagle Warehouse building in Brooklyn Heights, re-adapts two separate apartments into one modern single family duplex. The original apartment was laid out into conventional bedroom and living/ dining spaces, with very little natural light reaching the lower level. The new owner wanted an open floor plan with a grand stair connecting the main level and the level below.

The demolition of non load-bearing interior walls revealed the structural shell of the duplex, and the design was conceived as an intervention within this existing structure. The formal strategy for this residence was developed around the interplay of solid and void. At the central structural bay, the floor was removed at the main level, creating a void outlined by the columns at the corners and a continuous glass railing. A sculptural spiral staircase occupies this negative space, which brings light to the recreational spaces at the cellar level. A counterpoint to the void is provided by an adjacent solid, which houses the kitchen and bathroom spaces and separates the private bedrooms from the public areas of the apartment.