Springs Artist Studio by Worrell Yeung

Springs, New York

Artists Studio-1.jpg — Photo © Naho Kubota

Artists Studio-3.jpg — Photo © Naho Kubota

Architects & Firms

Location: Springs, New York

Project size: 800 square feet

Program: Situated on Long Island’s South Fork in the artist enclave of Springs, New York, this addition to an existing one-story house accommodates a single-car garage (which doubles as an exhibition space), a powder room, and a second-floor painting studio.

Design Solution: Constrained by strict zoning rules and the site’s unique environmental conditions, architects Max Worrell and Jejon Yeung sensitively inserted the structure without removing any existing trees and using the smallest footprint possible. The garage neatly fits the client’s 1966 Chevy Impala, and a small vestibule, connecting the addition to the existing house, provides access to a staircase.

On the second floor, a ribbon window wraps the perimeter of the studio, providing a 360-degree panorama of the calm, wooded landscape, with glimpses of Hog Creek to the west. The architects worked closely with engineering firm Silman to develop a structural system that could accommodate the continuous glazing: slender steel columns, pulled away from the corners and hidden behind window mullions, support the pitched roof, while steel-rod cross-bracing provides lateral support. The effect is alluring, creating a sense of immersion in nature with the ceiling floating overhead.

Photo © Naho Kubota

Structure and Materials: Exterior cladding is horizontally expressed, echoing the ribbon window, and telescopes in scale to complement the structure’s vertical massing. At the garage level, white-pine boards are 12-inches tall. At the studio level, they are 4-inches tall below the ribbon window, and 1-inch tall above it. All boards have been stained black to match the color of the existing house.

Inside, the material strategy reinforces the ribbon window as well. Plywood flooring continues along the walls as wainscoting, up to the sill. Above the glazing, white painted sheetrock bounces light. The vestibule, casework, and staircase are also built of plywood—but the powder room has been stained International Klein Blue, made famous by French artist Yves Klein, adding an unexpected splash of color to an otherwise muted palette.

Additional Information
Completion date: August 2022
Site size: 0.75 acres
Total construction cost: Withheld
Client/Owner: Patrick McDonough and Michael Burst