Wallpaper* — “Front Row”

January 1, 2014

“There is an undeniable elegance to its low profile and interlocking, naturally lit interior space. The ceiling over the large second-floor training room, which can double as a reception hall when the rowing machines are removed, is a continuous membrane of curved unpainted plywood sheets. ‘We’re interested in creating complex surfaces with simple materials,’ says Gang. It may seem remarkable that one of America’s most distinguished architects (Gang was a 2011 MacArthur Fellow, recipient of the $500,000 ‘genius grant’) would occupy herself with a brief for which a shed might have sufficed. But the project chimed with her objective of designing beautiful buildings that are both sustainable and economical. And with the sawtooth facade of her boathouse, she has created an eye-catching landmark on the riverfront. ‘We believe that to change the world you have to work at multiple scales,’ says Gang. ‘Addressing urban blight and climate change—these things can’t be resolved in just one way.’”