Nautilus

This is a design for a roughly 2500-sq ft gallery with three supporting offices, two workshops, a reception, and a bathroom area. The project’s focal point is the spiraling staircase that leads from the reception to the gallery. Every space in the building reacts to the staircase in a unique way, blending several languages into one. The project engages the site by inviting passersby into its semi-enclosed courtyard, and by protruding above the roof of the neighboring building. The angle of this “periscope moment” allows the sun to shine all the way through the gallery and onto the street below, enhancing the ethereal feel of the gallery.