“Architecture, however, does not consist in the sum of the width, length and height of the structural elements which enclose space, but in the void itself, the enclosed space in which man lives and moves.” - Bruno Zevi
Measuring only 15’-0” feet wide between party walls, Void House rotates the typical rowhouse stair perpendicular to the building’s length, creating a switchback stair with split-level landings located inside a light-filled void carved out of the building’s center. The stair’s rotation allows for greater plan efficiency, creating two wider and deeper spaces bookending the building on either side.
Perched above the void and adjacent to the new stair is a bulkhead distinguished by several large, canted skylights that bring light down, uninterrupted to the garden level below. The stair is entirely custom; constructed of plasma cut steel and white oak treads and handrail. Open risers and porous guardrails further increase the transmission of light throughout the building, accessing rooms flanking the void on each individual level. The result is a series of spaces, interconnected vertically and horizontally, naturally lit by each exterior facade in addition to the newly introduced courtyard anchoring the building from within.
