inaba williams adds playful pops of color in shigeru ban’s cast iron house in new york

inaba williams adds colorful venues to shigeru ban‘s cast iron house playroom in tribeca new york. in any spot where one finds a little bit of room, the architects designed interaction points for the visitors. built-in tunnels, climbable millwork platforms, curved walls with places to hide, recessed nooks, and a slow room complete the interior.view of the main space, the tunnel room

all images courtesy of naho kubota

inaba william’s idea is small gathering spots for focused time with a few people. toddlers crawl around while their parents exchange advice. illuminated custom ecoresin shelves -which are equipped with concealed outlets and data ports for studying- line the nooks and himac solid surface panels -that were site welded- clothe the wall. illuminated custom ecoresin shelves

a ​parent and child enjoy the one-to-one time. ‘with the great migration from offices and schools into home isolation, spaces that are designed to foster human connection can strengthen the relationships,’ adds the studio. in a leftover area on a multi-unit building’s common level, residents are able to get out of their apartments during bouts of cabin fever without leaving the quarantine bubble of their home.   the slow room is lined with felt to dampen sound. upholstered leather lines the seating nooks throughout the space

inaba williams re-envisioned the playroom by making the room the play object itself. ‘we have completed a series of early development spaces, including a brooklyn preschool similarly located in a leftover area. as the commercial, retail, and residential landscapes reset now that the boring transactional stuff has moved online, there will be more chances to carve out spaces like this one dedicated to people interacting and growing through the relationships they build,’ mention the architects.the seating tube connecting the hallway to the slow room. the main wall is made of himac, a solid surface material. the seating tube is upholstered in leatherview from the slow room to the tunnel roomview from the slow room to hallway through the yellow seating tubeeach of the tunnel millwork pieces are designed to be climbed on as well as crawled througha wide seating nook overlooking the tunnel room with storage cabinets above. the blue tunnel frames a view from the tunnel room to the slow roomat the entry there are custom eco-resin shelves for backpacks, coats, and shoesa seating nook illuminated from above, located along the curved walla video display is located in the slow room for zoom study calls

project info:

name: cast iron house playroom

architect: inaba williams architecture

location: tribeca, new york

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