Attract & Engage



An unusual glow emanates from around the corner

A planked and side lit walkway guides you forward

Connecting a Connecticut residence and its detached outbuilding there is an
underground tunnel.
Upon entering, at the end of a gangway you are introduced to an unusual glow emanating from
around the corner…

Mysteriously, the slug-like sculpture is enslaved
in this passage but ultimately is liberated by its cycle of illumination, affecting the mood of each passerby.
Formed by hundreds of smooth translucent polygonal boxes, the figure rises up and bridges over the pathway.

The texture is decidedly smooth and modern in contrast to the raw formed concrete surfaces it clings to...

The tunnel acts as both a passage and a destination.
A planked and side lit walkway guides you forward giving the sense of floating in space.
 

There are more than 16 million color combinations, however the majority of those varied hues are beyond the ability of the human eye to see, a testament to the fact that we are imprisoned by our limited senses. The slug makes the experience of moving between the Residence and the outbuilding not only an exploration of light and form, but also transcending what is superficial or obvious.  

There are more than 16 million color combinations

The concept for the project is related to Einstein’s Theory
of Relativity which describes wormholes as a topological feature that would fundamentally be a shortcut across the universe by traveling on the space-time relationship. A wormhole is much like a tunnel with two ends, each in separate points in space time.















Beinfield Architecture recently completed this project which involved uniquely modern twists on classic Connecticut vernacular style. The components included 9,000 sq.ft. residence, a media building housing a sculpture gallery, theater, and observatory, and this underground tunnel that connects the two. 

Midsummer Night's Pub Crawl Haiku

Hiroshige   (1797 - 1858)

"Our restaurant portfolio is focused
on endowing the spaces we create with energy.
We conceive our restaurants as vessels in which to transport
the patrons to places apart from the ordinary".
Invention plays an important role in this work."

       

                Beinfield Architecture has designed so many of SONO’s best loved restaurants.
                Consistently acclaimed for ambiance, where the space is cited as often as
                the cuisine and service.
                           Here are 3 for your midsummer eve pub crawl consideration!

“… Barcelona's ambiance is like the cherry on top. It not only has the gritty SoNo feel
with the exposed wrought iron beams and big windows looking out at the downtown area,
but it also possesses a certain European chic-ness to it…”

Tripadvisor review 5 stars ambience

                                                                  

“SoNo is a great place to be in the summer time, and there's probably not a better place to sit outside
and have a drink than Harlan Publick. Food is very good, but the overall atmosphere is what makes it great.

Scene is hard to beat.  A great courtyard that the bar opens up onto."

“Excellent summertime experience” tripadvisor

"Perhaps (Washington Prime’s) strongest selling point is the space. Simply fantastic. Open, inviting, sheek, modern - you will feel like an A-list celebrity when dining here. The restaurant decor itself is lovely--ivy over the open, horseshoe shaped bar. High top tables near the bar, lower tables in the back. A  private room with TV in the back. The lounge outside is awesome too-a fireplace for the winter and some couches to hang out on. ALSO, the space in Washington Prime is very cool. They have board games in the bar area to play, and there appears to be a solid outdoor terrace for lounging with a few beverages."

                                                                                                                                                             YELP

                      

Designing for Space

Pluto probe getting on a mission to deliver the unknown next week

 When Beinfield Architecture designs for “space” we have a lot less to worry about than NASA  but the process is still the same: to embrace the agility and aptitude necessary to cycle through  and understand constraints and possibilities. Kayak.com, award winning international online travel  search engine asked us to fit-out an 18,000 sq. ft. commercial space for  their new office headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut.

James  Wassell’s rendering of the digital virtual conference center

The challenge was to craft within the shell of the existing 

historic structure a headquarters facility with the goal of providing  brand reinforcement and to empower Kayak to have enhanced connectivity to New York City’s well educated millennial population.

For our architectural intervention we took advantage of the soaring interior space initially designed by James Gamble Rogers and embraced the raw nature of the salvaged building, while referencing air travel, which is at the core of Kayak’s business.

A client request to suspend a used jet fuselage in the hanger like building shell was challenged by the difficulties of getting the aircraft into the historic structure.  Alternatively it was decided to build a new fuselage from within.  

The existing space was adapted to maintain the sense of building as artifact.  Exposed brick, metal and concrete trusses, as well as remnants of the buildings more ornate former life is preserved.  Rooms constructed of metal and glass house
offices and support space. 

A suspended catwalk bridge leading to digital conference center

The fuselage suspended from reinforced trusses houses a digital virtual conference center that connects headquarters to the satellite offices around the world. A suspended catwalk bridge access further emphasizes
the floating nature of the room/object.  
 
Enclosed executive offices are housed on the first floor, while the upper levels are given over to the work stations, collaborative spaces and meeting areas.
 
To maintain an in-progress character, all mechanicals are exposed.  Ductwork rises
through the building from the basement becoming an architectural element in the composition. 
The oval shape of the spiral duct reinforces the aeronautics aesthetic. 

The reception desk was fabricated from re-purposed plane parts.  It’s smooth surface along with polished concrete floors, shiny metal and glass contrast with the rough brick and concrete structure that still shows impressions from its original wooden formwork.  Plywood is used as a cladding element, lending its organic warmth to the space.  

Beinfield Architecture delivered! Let’s see what the Pluto mission brings!   

The reception desk  fabricated from re-purposed plane parts

The New Horizons Pluto mission will help us understand worlds at the edge of our solar system by making
the first reconnaissance of the dwarf planet Pluto and by venturing deeper into the distant, mysterious
Kuiper Belt – a relic of solar system formation.