LAB—OR is a design practice that works as an ongoing record of the teaching and scholarly work of Jessica Garcia Fritz and Federico Garcia Lammers. Jessica and Federico are faculty in the School of Architecture (SoA) at the University of Minnesota. They are active members of The Architecture Lobby, and they align with other action-based programs. Details about their work are shared in news and events. Say hello, contact us.
CAVE in the CLOUDS / CLOUDS in the CAVE
Personal Spa and Bath
Collaboration with Jeff Montague (JeFe)
Hermosa Beach, CA
The contemporary house distinguishes between uses through the physical separation of space. This strategy generally results in a strict compartmentalization of program and the separation of activity. Sleep, eat, live, work, exercise, read... everything you can imagine can be separated and organized through thoughtless space planning. What happens when the CAVE lifts up and/or the CLOUDS decend? What are the implications of combining the introspectiveness of the CAVE with the exterior atmosphere of the CLOUDS? How can we generate a spatial sequence of overlapping ecologies within a compact space.
CAVE
How does the CAVE operate programmatically? We would like to use the CAVE as a conceptual device for addressing the often uninspiring design of everyday “small” spaces. The idea of the CAVE carries cultural, social, and political implications that suggest a geographical range reaching as far as California to Turkey. The spatial composition of the CAVE is not dependent on strict boundaries. This type of space affords the opportunity to imagine overlapping ecologies that create a unique atmosphere.
CLOUDS
Not unlike the CAVE, the sky offers a seemingly undefined spatial realm. The presence of CLOUDS and the formless spaces they suggest can be considered the closest attempt at defining spatial boundaries. Unlike the CAVE, the sky and its ever shifting CLOUDS are the clearest expression of exterior space.
SPATIAL ADJACENCIES + MATERIAL STRATEGY
We have setup highly functional spaces that comfortably serve the needs of a bathroom, personal spa and lounge seating area including a coffee station. Unexpected spatial relationships are achieved as a result of projecting the spa, the most private space to the exterior of the house. The articulation of the stone, wood and various degrees of transparencies within the spaces blur the boundaries of what is commonly perceived as private and public spaces within the home.
