Firehouse 7.1

Lansing, MI, United States

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Firehouse 7.1

Lansing, MI, United States

Firm

Studio PSchema

Type

Residential › Private House

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2015

SIZE

3000 sqft - 5000 sqft

BUDGET

$100K - 500K

Remaking Firehouse 7.1

In late 2014 Anne Carrigan and Daniel Luke closed on a dis-used 1924 firehouse that was being sold by the City of Lansing as a residential property. The firehouse included a 1200 square foot space that was completely open and had previously been used as the fire engine garage. Unlike many older homes where renovation involves taking down walls to open up space, the Luke's were given the open plan as a starting point. The question they now faced was how to turn this raw space into a place where they could feel at home.

To help answer this question, the Lukes turned to Paulis Austrins, architect at Studio PSchema. "It was an interesting challenge" says Austrins. Initial plans put up walls in order to define the spaces and programmatic elements, but that would have ruined the one thing that made the house so special – the grand open space.

MOVING FROM PUBLIC TO PRIVATE IN THE OPEN PLAN
Everybody loves open plans these days. From the very beginning, the open plan has promised flexibility, flow of spaces, and plenty of natural light; but when designing a house, this flexibility and flow comes with a fair share of challenges to overcome in order to make a space really work. How does one program spaces so that they become more than simply circulation? How do you maintain openness while encouraging specific uses? How are the limits of public and private defined and experienced?

In the final design, Austrins takes advantage of the already existing openness of the firehouse to pursue a more novel approach to space definition, creating a sense of enclosure while still allowing circulation and light to flow through. Floor and ceiling heights range from fully open in the public dining and entertaining areas with floor to ceiling heights of nearly 12 feet, down to just over 8 feet in the office. Built-in millwork helps to further define spaces without adding walls. The millwork varies between half-height and full-height to help maintain a porous environment and further soften private spaces.

While these two elements are the most obvious means of space definition, other devices help define different programs. Materiality is varied from space to space, with public spaces retaining the original tile floors and brick walls. As the spaces move towards progressively more private uses, the finishes become softer moving from hard surfaces of tile/brick to visually softer plaster, to richer wood. Lighting is also varied in the different spaces ranging from distributed/diffuse in the public spaces to directed and task lighting in the more work oriented and private areas.

A NEW OLD
The remodeling process strove to save as much of the existing building as possible while still creating a livable home for Anne and Daniel. At no point was the original use of the building hidden from observers. "It was never an option to try to cover up what was here before, that would have ruined the unique character of the building. Instead the challenge lies with trying to enhance the existing while modernizing the spaces for contemporary living" said Austrins.

Through this process, the firehouse has become a palimpsest of sorts, showing the old and new together in a single whole. In several areas, existing walls were removed, but their imprint still lingers with contrasting flooring filling the spaces where the walls once stood. The outline of the original stair can still be seen interweaving with a modern open-riser version in the sloping brickwork that once enclosed the space underneath.
Existing materials were re-purposed into the new home. The original garage area featured solid wood beadboard ceiling treatment with 100 years of wear and countless coats of paint. This beadboard was removed and stripped of paint to reveal beautiful old-growth pine. The wood was re-finished and re-used in choice locations of the new house, allowing the original character of the building to be visible and contribute its warmth.

“I used to drive by this house and daydream about living there” Said Carrigan. “I was convinced it could never happen, so it's quite surreal to be able to live here now.” The work on the project may be completed, but the building lives on with its structure and soul intact.