RESIDENTIAL & HOSPITALITY RESIDENTIAL & CULTURAL WORK SAMPLES
info@wauoffice.com 116 Nassau St, Suite 802 New York, NY 10038 917-754-4581
WHO ARE WE? WAU is an interdisciplinary architecture and design practice based in New York City. The firm was established in response to the widening gap that exists between great design firms and great executive firms with a view to spanning both areas of practice. With prior experience working with some of the world’s most established offices in both spheres, WAU has experience in providing innovative design solutions whilst meeting budget constraints and rigorous construction schedules. WAU’s design approach is driven by a curiosity for new organizational typologies and aesthetic experiences that offer new ways of living, working, and interacting with one another. WAU’s interests are not defined by a particular project typology, but by the potential to create environments with cultural resonance. Frequently expanding the role of the architect, WAU’s approach spans between strategic thinking and material experimentation from the city to the artifact.
IAN WATCHORN AIA | RIBA | RIAI
Ian Watchorn is a Licensed Architect in both the US & Europe with over 10 years of experience working at internationally renowned offices. Educated in Ireland he has worked with two separate Pritzker Prize winning architects in OMA and Grafton Architects and has experience spanning Ireland, The Netherlands, Norway, and for the past 7 years; New York. Ian’s experience is one that recognizes the distinct skills required to both design and execute architectural projects. With this in mind, Ian spent his formative years working on high profile competitions, most notably with OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture) where he developed a critical approach to design. Post OMA, Ian then refined this design thinking leading a number of design commissions in the years that followed. With a desire to see projects through to completion Ian then completed his educational arc by joining Cooper Robertson, working extensively on the later phases of project development, documentation and delivery. With experience in leading all stages of architectural projects at the highest level Ian founded WAU (Watchorn Architecture & Urbanism) in 2020.
Professional Experience 2020 2016 2016 2014 2013 2012 2012 2011
WAU Watchorn Architecture & Urbanism Cooper Robertson HWKN Hollwich Kushner Studio Link-Arc Grafton Architects OMA Office for Metropolitan Architecture OG Arkitekter VMX Architects
Education 2011
Waterford Institute of Technology, Ireland Master of Architecture
ALAN SONG
Alan Song is an architectural designer with 6 years of experience working at internationally renowned offices in North America, Europe, and Asia. Educated in Canada at the University of Waterloo, he has had the pleasure of working with award winning offices in Canada, China, Japan, The Netherlands, and the United States. Alan spent his formative years at high-profile design offices such as OMA, Neri&Hu Design and Research Office, and Junya Ishigami + Associates where he developed a critical process and eye for design. These opportunities provided him with wide ranging experiences working across all project typologies and sizes. With the understanding that projects did not simply end after the design phase, Alan joined Cooper Robertson where he worked extensively on project documentation and delivery as the project architect for a hotel and masterplan. While at Cooper Robertson, he met Ian and discovered a mutual interest and curiosity for a future collaborative practice. Alan joined WAU in 2021.
Professional Experience 2021 2019 2015 2015 2014 2014 2013
WAU Watchorn Architecture & Urbanism Cooper Robertson OMA Office for Metropolitan Architecture Neri&Hu Design and Research Office Junya Ishigami + Associates Diamond Schmitt Architects UDG United Design Group China
Education 2018
University of Waterloo, Canada Bachelor of Architectural Studies
PARK GROVE Client Terra Group & Related Companies Date of completion 2020 Program Residential Project Size + Location 600,000 sf | Miami, Florida, USA Firm OMA - Office for Metropolitan Architecture
A distinct community within Miami’s patchwork of neighborhoods, Coconut Grove offers an alternative to metropolitan downtown. A new typology of living has emerged in the Grove – one deeply connected with the local community yet offering the intimacy of a private retreat. Located at the nexus of the Miami’s urban grid and the bay’s edge, the site has the unique potential to be a seamless connection between the city and coast. OMA’s design inverts the local trend of high-density massing and establishes a new approach to vertical living more attuned to Coconut Grove. The site’s porosity was preserved by distributing 1 million square feet of living between three towers across a five acre lot. Residents maintain a connection to Coconut Grove’s lush natural setting as they arrive at the landscaped plinth and ascend to units that enjoy views of Biscayne Bay.
Tower massing
Typical floor plan 8
Bedroom
Living Space
Living Space
Lobby 9
ALILA BANGSAR Client Alila Hotel Group Date of completion 2018 Program Hospitality Project Size + Location 161,460 sf | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Firm Neri&Hu
Located between Brickfields, a former colonial neighborhood, and Bangsar, an up-and-coming area of Kuala Lumpur, the project is situated at the junction between these two districts, old and new, a conceptual linkage between the past and the present. The hotel occupies the ground floor and the top eight floors of a new tower, with five levels of guest rooms and three levels of public areas, with us responsible for both architecture and interior design. A rigid structural grid defines the project from outside to inside, signaling its presence on the façade, while acting as a framework within which each function of the hotel is contained. In the guestrooms, the concept was to define the layout with two different elements: “the hut” and “the indoor courtyard”. Following the analogy of a small village the hut is the indoor space where the functions of daily living are enclosed. The bathroom is inserted as a floating box in the hut structure and allow for free-flowing circulation around the space.
Lobby
Courtyard
Pool level floor plan 6
Entry
Poolside deck
Suite
Wet room
Living space 7
673 5th AVENUE RETAIL & GALLERY Client King Fook Company Date of completion Ongoing Program Retail, Gallery Project Size + Location 5,200 sf | 5th Avenue, New York Firm Studio Link-Arc
The design of this retail flagship scheme for a major Chinese retailer is inspired by the concept of a bamboo forest. This allows a unified architecture that connects all three floors and allows flexible retail space. The project site exists in a unique location at the intersection of commerce and culture as 5th Avenue meets 53rd Street. Adjacent to both major cultural institutions such as MOMA (53rd Street) and High-End 5th Avenue Retail Flagship Store brought us to view the design as a hybrid of retail and Chinese cultural institution that could capitalize on its striking location.
5th avenue facade
First floor
Ground floor 8
5th avenue corner
Bamboo screen to unify floors
Mazimized value
53rd street facade
Retail gallery 9
PLA’D ADET MONTAUK Client Private Date of completion Expected 2021 Program Residential Project Size + Location 5,720 sf | Montauk, New York Firm Cooper Robertson & SAOTA
Pla’d Adet is a high-end residential project under construction along the Old Montauk Highway on the far eastern edge of Montauk, NY. Designed in collaboration with SAOTA architects, the house itself is set into the hillside of Montauk giving every room a sweeping panoramic view of the oceanfront. The site consists of a main three-storey residence and an adjacent covered terrace situated around a central pool. During the design process, a large emphasis was given to the use of natural materials such as wood and the ways it could be treated to produce various textures and finishes. The dark, charred timber clad exterior walls of the residence provide a stark contrast to the light, white-washed oak finish in the interiors. The careful detailing and juxtaposition of the materiality and use of gabled roofs helps project a modern, yet rustic feeling on the property.
IDD
INITIAL DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
DATE: 20AUG2018
FIRST FLOOR
DOC
DWG: A_1006
2
OF
REV
4 13
2 1 A_3053 A_3053
BOUNDARY LIN
E
190' - 0" 140' - 0"
STORE
10' - 0"
ACCESSORY STRUCTURE ENVELO
BEDROOM 02
ES02
PRINCIPLE BUIL
ES03
POOL ENV ELO
POWDER ROOM
BEDROOM 03 ELEV.
PE
DING ENVELO PE
PE
AA 1 A_3051 A_3001
FIRE PLACE
77' - 1 1/2" FFL 78' - 7 1/2" FFL
TERRACE
LOUNGE DOUBLE VOLUME
DD 2 A_3052 A_3002
KITCHEN
DINING
CC 1 A_3052 A_3002
FIRE PLACE
LAUNDRY
MUD ROOM
ACCESSORY STRUCTURE ENVELO PE
PRINCIPLE BUILDING ENVELO PE
BB 2 A_3051 A_3001
FAMILY ROOM
POOL ENVELOPE FIRE PIT
TV BBQ
GARDEN
Main floor plan
PRINCIPLE BUILDING ENVELOPE ACCESSORY STRUCTURE ENVELOPE
BOUNDARY LINE
14
Bedroom
Master bathroom
Landing
Master bathroom exterior
Master bedroom
Living space
Indoor/outdoor connection 15
GENESIS GANGNAM Client Hyundai Motor Company Date of completion 2018 Program Retail/Office Project Size + Location 15,200 sf | Seoul, South Korea Firm OMA Office for Metropolitan Architecture
For its design of the Genesis Gangnam Store, we re-visited the conventional norm of dealership in the automotive industry. Typically, the design of an automotive retail and office space includes large window shops that disclose the interior in one glance. By contrast, the Genesis Space is a space of gradual discovery, enhanced by the selection of a muted palette of colors and materials for its interior design. Furthermore, to mute the distracting presence of sales activities, the purchasing process is placed in a sequence of independent rooms. Furniture is blended into the separate rooms by using the same color and material as the space.
Genesis Gangnam entrance
The store is designed to be attentive to visitors’ needs and provide them with an authentic, analogue experience that cannot be substituted with digital technology. The design of the Genesis Gangnam Store has resulted in a set of guidelines for a global roll out strategy; the Genesis Gangnam store in Seoul is the first application of a new automotive retail concept.
PROJECT
GENESIS SPACE IDENTITY 1005 DAECHI 2 DONG, GANGNAM-GU, SEOUL, REPUBLIC OF KOREA CLIENT
HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY
12, Heolleung-ro, Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea T +82 2 3464 1114 ARCHITECT
OMA
Heer Bokelweg 149 3032 AD Rotterdam The Netherlands T +31 10 243 8200 / F +31 10 243 8202
X1
X3
X2
X5
X4
X1
X2
LOCAL ARCHITECT
X3
X5
X4
INNOCEAN WORLDWIDE
Landmark Tower 20F 837-36, Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea T +82 2 2016 2300
* Dimension to be verified on site
Y5
ST-1
Y5
ST-2 LOCKERS
BATHROOM (F)
ST-1
ST-2 LOCKERS
BATHROOM (M)
CAR PIT +0.20
DN
OFFICE
CAR PIT DN
UP
PANTRY
TEST DRIVE/DELIVERY
Y4
STORAGE
UP
PANTRY
JANITORIAL LOCKERS
STORAGE
Y4 +4.40
Y3
Y3 +0.20
Y2
Y2
Y1
Y1
KEY MAP
S2
S1
1st floor plan
N
2nd floor plan
8
PLAN LEVEL 1 DRAWING TITLE
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT STATUS
1:100 PROJ. NO.
SCALE
A1 FORMAT
DATE
09.06.17
Configuration room
Access corridor
Showroom
Meeting room
Library
Lounge 9
TSINGPU RETREAT Client Tsingpu Retreats Date of completion 2017 Program Hospitality Project Size + Location 45,210 sf | Yangzhou, China Firm Neri&Hu
Situated in close proximity to Yangzhou’s scenic Slender West Lake, the site given to Neri&Hu to design a 20-room boutique hotel was a challenging one, dotted with small lakes and a handful of existing structures. The design brief called for the adaptive reuse of several of the old buildings by giving them new functions, while adding new buildings to accommodate the hotel’s capacity needs. The strategy to unify these scattered elements was to overlay a grid of walls and paths onto the site to tie the entire project together, resulting in multiple courtyard enclosures. The inspiration for the design actually originates with the courtyard house typology of vernacular Chinese architecture. As with the traditional courtyard, the courtyard here gives hierarchy to the spaces, frames views of the sky and earth, encapsulates landscape into architecture, and creates an overlap between interior and exterior. Courtyard
Aerial overview
Hotel floor plan
Social space 16
Wet room
Restaurant
Terrazzo bath
Social space
Bedroom 17
NEW MUSEUM EXPANSION Client New Museum Date of completion Est. 2022 Program Museum/Office/Education Project Size + Location 61,700 sf | New York, USA Firm OMA Office for Metropolitan Architecture + Cooper Robertson
The New Muesum Expansion will occupy a seven story, 60,000 square foot building and include three floors of galleries, doubling the Museum’s exhibition space. The form is designed to complement and respect the integrity of the adjoining SANAA-designed flagship building, while asserting its own distinct identity. Along with additional space for the Museum’s many community and education programs, the expansion will provide a permanent home and office space for NEW INC, as well as increased public amenities and improved vertical circulation.
New Museum expansion
The new building will improve vertical circulation with the addition of an atrium stair, which will offer views over the surrounding neighborhood. The stair and new entry align to the terminus of Prince Street, opening up the museum to the city. The building will also provide additional public spaces and services, including an expanded lobby and bookstore, an upper level forum connecting to the existing Sky-room, and a new 80-seat restaurant.
5th floor plan 10
Lounge
Auditorium
Meeting rooms
Auditorium
Open office workspace 11
THE AVERY Client Related Companies Date of completion 2019 Program Residential Project Size + Location 906,470 sf | San Francisco, LA, USA Firm OMA - Office for Metropolitan Architecture
Located four blocks from the San Francisco Bay, The Avery will be an important anchor along the eastern end of Folsom Street. Comprised of a 618-foot tower, OMA’s masterplan for The Avery defines a residential development with an urban gesture. While residential towers are typically closed off from the life of the city around them, The Avery opens the site to the public by introducing a new lane connecting Folsom Street - the neighborhood’s main boulevard - with Clementina - an intimate pedestrian corridor.
Tower massing
Typical 3 bed unit 12
Amenities
WC
Kitchen
Bathroom
Kitchen 13
info@wauoffice.com 116 Nassau St, Suite 802 New York, NY 10038 917-754-4581