view. One of our initial goals was to convey the location's
beauty the moment you walked in."
Te team completely demolished the interior walls,
working around structural elements and plumbing chases.
Tey removed every element from the exterior glass walls
except the existing fan coil heating units along the base
of the windows. "Now, you can run your hand all along
the walls," Dufresne says, "and you instantly get that
stunning view straight out to the lake."
Rather than create new wall divisions, the designers added
back the least amount of separation possible. Jordon Wankel,
manager at SPACE, came up with the idea of treating com-
ponents within the unit as clusters. Foregoing traditional
rooms, private spaces within the clusters are connected via
large sliding doors hidden within custom casework.
Te living room, kitchen and master bathroom are one
cluster. Te master bedroom opens up discreetly into the
living room through opposite ends of a center column
The kitchen and dining
areas open to the living
room on either side of
a 10-ft. 6-in. by 20-ft.
enclosure. The kitchen
side comprises kitchen
cabinets, countertop
and sink.
SPACE Architects + Planners demolished
the interior walls around structural
elements and plumbing chases to
provide an instant view of Lake Michigan.
unit, but the confnes of the existing
structure and building services limited
foor plan options. Dufresne was so
inspired by the raw potential he saw, he
sketched a new layout on the spot. Te client bought the
condo and hired SPACE Architects + Planners to design it.
CLEAR PERSPECTIVE
Despite the heavy-handed interior treatment, the 24th-
foor condominium ofered distinct advantages. Te
2,100-sq.-ft. unit contained three fully glazed exterior
walls with great views north along Lakeshore Drive, east
over Lake Michigan and south over Lincoln Park — fea-
turing the zoo, the botanical garden and downtown in
the distance. "Te only problem was that initially you
couldn't see any of it," says Dufresne. "Te frst thing you
saw when you walked in was the master bedroom door,
and it took four turns within the unit to get to your frst
Before
Before
After
After
30 October 2015 QR QualifiedRemodeler.com
PROJECTS