Art sites Riverhead

There were two existing buildings on the site. One is a CMU building, which was originally a Willy’s (jeep) dealership and had been abandoned for 17 years. Attached is an old wood‐framed building housing two apartments. This project renovates the CMU building for use as an art gallery and architect’s office. The building fronts a busy road with constant traffic. The two acre site drops away from the road to the bank of the Peconic River. The view overlooking the riverbank yard form the street level side of the building looked like an oasis aside a line of speeding cars. Grass in the yard has been mowed, but the surrounding trees looked almost naturally grown. The balance between nature and a touch of control was waiting to be discovered. The preservation and reinforcement of the overlooking view was the starting point of this project. The plaza flooded with white pea gravel was planned to be the viewing platform, serving as the entry to the building, as well as provide an exterior exhibition space. The juxtaposition between the white, flat plaza and the green natural yard, connected with a straight wooden staircase and a circular graveled ramp visually connects the commercial street to the bucolic river. The use of the building is an art gallery, which needs enclosed quiet room and walls. The interconnection between exterior and interior cannot be quite open. The design sought the way hinting internal activities to the exterior, without directly exposing them. On the yearly stage of the design, we tested a translucent wall, which may show the actual activities suggestively, with opaque panels like cut‐off planes may suggest immovable activities, both happening in the building. Due to the budget constrain, it was finalized with a minimal solution with a translucent entry door with opaque slots.