History and Culture of Space4Architecture
Space4Architecture are a New York-based architectural design studio working across different scales and typologies, both in the private and public realm. As a team, their desire is to generate a detailed and thorough design that engages their clients in a simple, direct, and joyful manner. Their non-hierarchical approach to design enables them to create architecture free of stylistic limitations that welcome and respond to their client’s needs. The office’s reputation for simplicity and clarity of design strengthens with every project researched and completed, as they believe this to be the foundation of a solid and timeless environment.
Their firm has the resources and technology necessary to execute all phases of the architectural process, from schematic design through construction administration. Careful dedication to all of these phases enables the firm to develop its client’s architectural needs while adhering firmly to budget and time constraints.
S4A was founded by Michele Busiri Vici and was joined by Clementina Ruggieri in 2014. Together they share an academic background from both the US and Europe and more than 20 years of professional experience in the United States. S4A was recently awarded 1st Prize for the competition “New Auditorium at the Riga Exhibition Center”, Latvia.
S4A is excited to have received WBE Certification in 2017.
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Michele Busiri Vici, FAIA
Founding Principal
Michele Busiri-Vici, principal and founder of Space4Architecture, has more than 20 years of experience in Architecture.
He received his Master of Architecture from La Sapienza University in Rome in 1995, graduating under the instruction of the late professor Luigi Pellegrin. He moved to the United States in 1995.
Michele founded Space4 Architecture in 1999 in New York and has since been the lead designer on all the firm’s projects.
Michele has worked on a variety of projects from large scale hospitality and residential buildings, to houses, interiors, and custom furniture.
Michele has recently completed teaching Design Studio at Pratt Institute, GAUD, and has previously taught Integrated Design at Columbia University in New York. He is a frequent visiting critic at the Pratt Institute, Columbia University, Parsons, and the Rhode Island School of Design.
Clementina Ruggieri, RA
Principal
Clementina Ruggieri has 15 years of work experience in Architecture between New York and Rome and has been principal at Space4 Architecture since 2014. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the Bartlett School of Architecture in London and a Master Degree in Architecture from Columbia University.
Clementina is a Registered Architect in New York State and has received her Passive House Certification in 2013.
Prior to joining S4A, she founded BArC Studio in New York and worked at Lazzarini Pickering Architects in Rome for several years, where she was project architect for many of their international projects.
Clementina has taught Integrated Design at GSAPP, Columbia University, and is currently teaching Design Studio at Parsons, The New School, New York.
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Space4Architecture Selected Projects
LOWER EAST SIDE RESIDENTIAL TOWERS
- New York
- Design in Progress
- 240000 sqf
Light, Proportion and Spatial Clarity
In 2017 we were approached by our clients for the Celino Hotel in Miami to submit a concept design for two residential towers, respectively 30 and 36 stories, in NYC. Our proposal was successful and we are now looking at a completion date of 2020. The two towers will rise on empty lots divided by a Landmark building, which is also part of the residential complex.
Our goal was to design two buildings that would socially and proportionally integrate with the surrounding neighborhood fabric. It was important for us to avoid the monumentality which is often associated with similar developments, and instead provide a sense of belonging and individualization for the future residents.
Through a series of working models and close collaboration with our clients, we found that the most efficient way to break the uniformity of the grid, was to introduce irregularly placed balconies of varying lengths which, together with areas of transparency and opacity, help characterize the facade into distinguished apartments. This created a human scale and sense of identity to the prospect buyers, that would otherwise be lost across the modular repetition of apartments reflected on the facade.
Photos by Space4Architecture
EAST BROADWAY RESIDENTIAL TOWER
- New York
- 2019 Ongoing
By breaking the typical grid facade and introducing variety of scale and proportion the design begins to look like a well proportioned vertical village, where, similarly to a vertical NYC block, a sense of individuality and recognition is given back to the dwellers and community.
Photos by Space4Architecture
BOLD IDEAS FOR SMALL LOTS
- New York
- Proposed 2019
These small lots offer an opportunity to revitalize the neighborhoods and the city through socially oriented interventions. They become new vibrant destination, inspiring public gathering and housing alike in a dynamic and interactive way for both neighbors and visitors. They welcome visitors of all ages in an open and inviting environment. They take center stage rather than blending with the urban context. Thus they become reference points, flagpoles of sort for the neighborhood and throughout the city. The goal of our intervention is to maximize both affordable housing units and public space: we achieved that by minimizing the footprint of our residential typology and developing it vertically to the max FAR allowed. This move not only guarantees to achieve a larger number of apartment units, but at the same time provides a wider number of much needed public parks.
Our inspiration comes from the public spaces that occasionally break the urban grid throughout midtown and the financial district, as well as from the tiny community gardens spread out through the city’s neighborhoods.
We believe that all the iconic and most successful modern buildings in NYC have dealt with public spaces.
The Guggenheim, the Breuer’s Whitney, the Seagram building, all of them have been designed to engage the city, to offer public space. They either don’t align with the city grid or their shapes have been carved so to create dynamic, unexpected and vital public spaces. They all generate a “suction” effect. We want to achieve the same: we envision a vertical public park as the filter between the public and the more private affordable residential units, thus encouraging interaction between the neighbors and the residents.
Photos by Space4Architecture
Do not forget that we will be posting more work by Space4Architecture in the coming weeks and months, so keep an eye out for more of their incredible work!! Every Friday we will be posting a new Featured Company, so join us again next week!
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