Note from the architects:
Primary Home is a hybrid design with ground-level space for exhibiting art accompanied by a small area for work. The upper level is a loft-like live space for the partners of Primary, a cultural collaborative. From the street, Primary Home is seen principally as a white modernist structure - stucco over concrete block and pour-in-place concrete. On the interior, a broader palate of material, often contrasting, is evident: unfinished concrete and concrete block alongside finished plasterboard; laminated wood beams alongside raw plywood. The geometry of the project recognizes the dual function. At ground level, the façade mirrors the street grid. The living area is separated from the street level for more privacy and the geometry pivots to the true north, giving a spatial distinction between the two levels and two modes of living.
Primary Home is a "zero lot line" structure, that is, it sits across the width of the site without setbacks. This condition predicts the denser, more urban condition that is transforming the neighborhood of Little River. The exterior spaces are created by the building's form, which is equally important as the interior spaces. A wide pathway connects the city sidewalk to a triangular sculpture court - both open to the sky. The sculpture court links to a covered terrace below the living loft. The rear yard is thus transformed into a stage before the covered terrace, intertwining the live and work programs that are mirrored in the interior and exterior space.
Associate architect, Thad Nobuhara explains, “the “collective” nature of Primary drove the concept for the architecture as a multi-functional space that is part gallery, studio, and home. As the architecture stretches across the site, it creates a variety of distinct environments while shifting the boundaries of what is considered interior and exterior. The combination of white walls with natural construction materials and landscape creates a space that is vast, raw, and organic. This, in part, is what makes Primary unique – it offers a range of experiences and relationships that allow us to evaluate the way we see things.”
K/R (Keenen/Riley), is a knowledge / creativity-based practice dedicated to art and architecture, K/R’s collaborative effort has made distinctive contributions in master planning, urban design, interior design, museum planning, exhibition design, sustainability, and education.
John Keenen studied art history at Georgetown University and received his Masters of Architecture degree from Columbia University. He has twice been the recipient of a Graham Foundation grant and has twice been a finalist for the prestigious Palladio Award. He has been a visiting professor at Harvard, Parsons School of Design, Rhode Island School of Design, and the University of Texas Austin. Keenen is a former trustee of the Design Trust for Public Space.
Terence Riley (b. 1954 - d. 2021) studied architecture at the University of Notre Dame and Columbia University. In addition to being a practicing architect for over 30 years, Riley has served as the Philip Johnson Chief Curator for Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art and subsequently served as the Director of the Miami Art Museum. Riley played a lead role in the architect selection, programming, and design process for Yoshio Taniguchi's renovation and expansion of MoMA and for the new waterfront building by Herzog & De Meuron for the Perez Art Museum Miami (PAMM).
Thad Nobuhara is an American designer who works in the fields of architecture and art. His work addresses current social and political issues while navigating the line between the real and possible. Born in Southern California with an education in architecture, he has practiced and lived on both coasts of the US.