Wooster Loft by Dub Studios
Wooster Loft is a 2008 loft renovation on Wooster Street in Manhattan, New York, NY, United States, designed by Dub Studios. Working within a broad existing floor plate, the project strips away layers of sheetrock to recover cast-iron columns, old brick walls, exposed joists, and tall windows, then places private rooms toward the back so daylight can reach deeper into the home.
About Wooster Loft
The existing loft was once covered from head to toe in layers of sheetrock. Low ceilings concealed the tops of the windows and old joists, and sheetrock walls hid elegant cast-iron columns and the exterior brick walls.
With a broad interior to renovate, the project began by looking closely at what was already there: exposed ceiling joists, old brick walls, and large windows along two perimeter walls. Rather than building a new ceiling to hide the worn joists, they were cleaned and sanded. In areas where structural damage had occurred, old joists were reused.
Instead of adding more walls, the renovation exposes the columns and lets them help subdivide the loft. Bathrooms, bedrooms, and other private rooms are pushed to the back, opening the front of the apartment and allowing natural light to travel as deeply into the interior as possible.
A green roof was also added to the loft. For a top-floor apartment, where the roof makes up most of the surface area through which heat is gained and lost, that outdoor layer helps with both cooling and heating. The roof has also become a planted retreat within the city for the homeowners.
The loft has been published worldwide.
Photography courtesy of Dub Studios
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