To celebrate ABA's 40th anniversary, we invited our team members to design a unique row house façade. Each day, we're showcasing a different perspective from our talented staff. Architectural design student and ABA intern, Keiko Watanabe presents a thought-provoking row house façade that embodies unity in diversity.
Keiko's Statement:
As a design student, my goal is to create spaces that foster connections among people, promoting tolerance through spontaneous interaction and making the world more inclusive and understanding. The concept driving the idea of this façade is the idea of a mosaic – which by definition, is the combination of diverse elements to form a cohesive whole. While differences remain visible and celebrated, they are ultimately integrated into a harmonious, unified design.
The façade features a dynamic interaction of horizontal and vertical members that outline the building’s floors. The vertical members delineate the floors, while the horizontal members are more scattered. The orientations represent differing perspectives and ideas, which at times are close to interacting, but do not quite reach each other. At their intersections however, vibrant, insulated glass blocks extend slightly outward, forming a striking mosaic effect. This both enhances the building's sculptural quality and also symbolizes the integration of diverse ideas and perspectives. The colored glass represents the beauty of sharing, collaborating, and interacting. The interior would have patches of colored light on the walls and floor, changing orientation depending on the time of day.
