Substance Architecture

Jirsa Residence

Jirsa Residence
© Farshid Assassi/Assassi Productions

JIRSA RESIDENCE

Substance Architecture: substance

ARCHITECTS
Substance Architecture: substance

PHOTOGRAPHS
Farshid Assassi/Assassi Productions

AREA
2700.0 ft2

YEAR
2007

LOCATION
Des Moines, IA, USA

This 2,700 square foot loft apartment in downtown Des Moines was designed for a single doctor interested in fine art and urban living. Organizationally, the loft was conceived as a simple, linear volume containing the major public spaces (kitchen, dining, living, media, and bedroom) served by a series of smaller, more private spaces (laundry, master bath, office, powder room, pantry, and guest bath).

Jirsa Residence
© Farshid Assassi/Assassi Productions
Jirsa Residence
© Farshid Assassi/Assassi Productions

The public spaces were placed adjacent to the building’s exterior, providing each with sweeping views of the city skyline to the north and west, while the private spaces were placed next to the building’s core and separated from the main volume by a thick gallery wall.

This plan arrangement provides the owner with a variety of spatial opportunities including the expansive, open volume one comes to expect from loft living; more intimate, contemplative rooms; and “in-between” spaces.

Jirsa Residence
© Farshid Assassi/Assassi Productions
Jirsa Residence
© Farshid Assassi/Assassi Productions

For instance, upon entry from a generic public hallway, the visitor is compressed by a confined vestibule space, moves into a transitional entry gallery, and is finally released into the main public volume. This sequence was further elaborated through the use of lighting, artwork, and furnishings.

Simple ebony casework is used to subdivide the large, open volume and define functional subspaces. These low cabinets allow the volume to be understood as a single space when standing, but define subspaces (living room, dining room, etc.) when visitors sit.

Subtle shifts in carpet coloration further enhance this subdivision. In addition, the thick gallery wall, which runs the full length of the loft, is broken into elements corresponding to these subspaces. As a result, each of these subspaces can be understood as a discrete “room” within the larger volume.

Jirsa Residence
© Farshid Assassi/Assassi Productions
Jirsa Residence
© Farshid Assassi/Assassi Productions

A reductive tact was taken throughout. Mechanical systems were removed from the large volume and concealed above the ceiling of the private, core spaces to eliminate the resulting clutter. A ribbon of translucent panels both delineates the open volume and integrates lighting and sprinkler systems creating a simplified ceiling plane.

Even exposed door and cabinet hardware was minimized or eliminated where possible. The result is a raw, industrial space which contains a small set of highly finished, minimal objects which define the domestic program for the owner.


Jirsa Residence
Plan
Jirsa Residence
Axon

Substance Architecture
T +1 515 2434407 F +1 515 2434692
Substance Architecture
1300 Walnut St #201, Des Moines, IA 50309, United States