J . Roc Design

Oblique Figures Apartment

Oblique Figures Apartment
© James Leng
Oblique Figures Apartment
© James Leng

OBLIQUE FIGURES APARTMENT

J.Roc Design

ARCHITECTS
J.Roc Design

MANUFACTURERS
Tectum, VARIO, Waterworks, Duraamen, Duravit

DESIGN
Jeremy Jih

ENGINEERING
Andy Harris Structural Engineering

PHOTOGRAPHS
James Leng

AREA
1800 ft²

YEAR
2020

LOCATION
Boston, United States

CATEGORY
Apartment Interiors

Oblique Figures inherits an empty cubic space and inserts a stair as a fulcrum, pivoting new spatial and perceptual relationships around a central, curving figure.

Connecting three scales and orientations of space, the stair differentiates and domesticates its context by transforming in perspective -- appearing as a domestically scaled slim figure of single radius from the kitchen, a publically scaled grand stair from the entrance axis, and a perspectivally exaggerated receding figure from the dining.

Oblique Figures Apartment
© James Leng
Oblique Figures Apartment
© James Leng

The existing space is fenestrated only on one side, problematizing access to both light and privacy, and establishing a harsh dichotomy between bright public spaces and windowless private spaces.

By reorienting the cube around a central rotation, notions of front and rear are made ambiguous, allowing for a constantly curving gaze to supersede the rectilinearity of its context while bridging between publically scaled double-height living spaces, privately scaled single height sleeping quarters, and a roof garden.

Oblique Figures Apartment
© James Leng
Oblique Figures Apartment
© James Leng

To address lighting needs while providing privacy, the master suite is pivoted off the stair at an angle and enclosed in electrochromic glass, transforming from clear to opaque at will.

This angle produces a gradient of scaled spaces, allowing each direct access to light while respecting allowable interior square footage.

A keystone in both concept and sequence, the stair was fabricated offsite in two pieces and corkscrewed in through a skylight.

Oblique Figures Apartment
© James Leng
Oblique Figures Apartment
© James Leng
Oblique Figures Apartment
© James Leng


Oblique Figures Apartment
© James Leng
Oblique Figures Apartment
© James Leng
Oblique Figures Apartment
© James Leng
Oblique Figures Apartment
© James Leng
Oblique Figures Apartment
© James Leng


Oblique Figures Apartment
Diagrams
Oblique Figures Apartment
Stair prespectives


Oblique Figures Apartment
Floor plans

J . Roc Design
T +1 617 2376052
J . Roc Design
90 Wareham Street, Unit 203, Boston, MA 02118, United States