Stairs

Typical Fire Escape Stair, 

SoHo, NYC

Sometimes stairs seem to be a problem for a good design, however, throughout history great architects made the most of them. From Michelangelo’s Laurentian Library to Asplund’s Law Court stairs, this architectural element has come to the center of discussion and design. In 2014’s Venice Biennale, curator Rem Koolhaas decided to work on the Fundamentals of architecture. Some of these elements had been forgotten by being regarded through parametric design or super modern ways of understanding life. Whether considered through religious ideas of ascension or mathematical concepts of proportion, stairs are not only used to connect two different stories but also as an aesthetic component or a story teller.

Laurentian Library, Florence.

Michelangelo

Law Courts, Gothenburg.

Gunnar Asplund

In New York City, stairs have always been a representative element and continue to inspire architects and artists to this day. The fire escape stairs were not built for any aesthetic reason but it is impossible to imagine a hundred-year building in SoHo without them. Over the last decades, many architects have been working in this neighborhood with the same element in different and innovative ways. Heatherwick and Koolhaas designed two of the most interesting stores in the city, Longchamp (2006) and Prada (2001), respectively. In these cases, the stair is not just a mean to rise above two different levels but a component that defines the entire space and makes architecture interact with the products for sale and the visitor.

Being contemporary is not just using avant-garde materials but using them with a contemporary thought of space, living and always looking back to history to have a proper vision of the future.

Awaji yumebutai, Awaji.

Tadao Ando

Itamary Palace, Brasilia.

Oscar Niemeyer

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Longchamp Store, SoHo, NYC.

Heatherwick

Prada Store, SoHo, NYC.

Rem Koolhaas

About SoHo

SoHo.  As most New Yorkers know this is a charming low-rise shopping and commerce district located SOuth of HOuston Street.  It is a step back to the early reaches of the late 19th and early 20th centuries with quaint cafes offering outdoor seating, boutique clothing shops, and narrow streets in comparison to the wide avenues and huge superblocks as you traverse north into the Manhattan street grid.

SoHo's roots lie in textiles and manufacturing, with many of these structures remaining and re-purposed as unique office spaces with high ceilings and exposed brick, now adapted and suited for tech and design companies.

Our building at 137 Varick still shows an advertising remnant of the past.  Once housing a paper company, the building now comprises a diverse collection offices for architects, contractors, web developers, stock traders, publishers and more.

www.globalgraphica.com

JMA's New Office

JMA has completed the move into our new office in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan! The area is buzzing with commerce from businesses large and small. In our building alone, there are tech startups, urban designers, architecture firms, stock traders, app designers, and printing services. The variety of firms working in this area are what make it such a distinct and special place in Manhattan. The space is blanketed in natural light throughout the day, which complements the white interior and allows us to minimize use of artificial lighting. We do encourage energy efficiency and sustainability, so what better place to start than our office?! To contrast the nearly all-white interior, we use orange accents throughout. As you enter, you face an orange accent wall behind the metal-clad reception desk.

The conference room is used for client, contractor, and team meetings. The glass marker board stretches from wall-to-wall and allows us to draw and hang content for our meetings. It will also be able to be reserved by our fellow tenants for their use.

Our studio work-space is bordered by an exposed brick wall with large windows. They provide us with a view of the surrounding buildings and the activity on Varick Street. There is an abundance of storage in shelves and cabinets throughout. We also designed in plenty of counter space to sketch out our ideas.

The dedicated model shop will produce more of these in the near future:

JMA is thrilled to be in Manhattan amongst such great talent and excitement. It truly is a remarkable place to work and to be apart of. If you are interested in working in a flexible, creative-collaborative space, we currently have a few desks available and we LOVE working with designers and those in other creative industries. Inquire at 646-248-6664.