Warehouse conversions all the rage.

Amongst the growing competition of residential developers to hit the market first with the new and greatest projects, many are choosing warehouse conversions as a viable alternative to renovating existing buildings or starting from scratch.

Although the task of remodeling existing warehouses is more daunting than building from the ground up, many warehouse spaces pose distinct advantages because of their brick and masonry construction, high ceilings and open wood structure. Many architects are delighted to work with a warehouse's inherent tactility and beauty rather than fighting it by inserting their own ego-driven creations, while at the same time, renovating the project to reflect contemporary tastes and mores. Our firm's design attitude does not attempt to recreate the past, but rather present it among a modernist setting and play up the differences between one period and another.

One of these projects is at 1610 DeKalb Ave, a rental apartment building I designed that was originally a Brooklyn warehouse.

My first design inspiration stemmed from the initial memory of the site from the drive out there from Manhattan with one of the investors. As we traveled deep into the heart of Brooklyn, I was struck by the absence of any discernable landmarks. Nothing seemed to punctuate the undifferentiated rhythm of low rise housing stock and commercial buildings, particularly on their upper floors.

We decided to take these observations and apply them in reverse. The staid regular window patterns of residential habitation could now be found at the ground floor, with emphasis placed on the vertical striping, a metaphorical recreation of the neighborhoods' building pattern.

The upper floors would now be the reinterpretation of the dynamism and movement found at the street level. The skin was intended to reflect this semi-vulnerability found at the ground floor shop, [the need to both protect the contents while inviting customers in] with the addition of the variegated movement found through sliding glass doors, operable pivot windows, framed views and other techniques of commercial entrapment and exchange.

Currently we are also working on a project on North 7th Street in Williamsburg. The old Star Candle Factory, located adjacent to the BQE was another adaptive re-use/new construction project. The grand scale of the warehouse will be preserved to serve new residential owners. These 20-foot-high spaces with 12-foot high windows will adapt well to residential desires and needs. The BQE served as an inspiration for the new building along the properties adjoining border. The linearity and speed of the highway will be reflected in the form and lines of the building itself--an intentional overlap of a new reflection of living in the age of speed and instant communication.

With the real estate market becoming much more competitive, the architect is very much instrumental in coming up with new and improved projects. Although commercialism and of course, marketability, are important, the emphasis is on how the space is to be used. Style is good, but content and talent will outweigh a gimmick every time. [I am wondering what Louis Kahn would make of today's style driven market!]

Talent is the signature quality in demand for today's architects. And, as demonstrated by the association of the "Richard Meier's buildings" on Perry Street, a good developer will recognize the value that a good architect brings to the table [and to his investors]. The proof is in its reported sales figures of northward of $2,000 per square foot, doubling adjacent comparables.

In my residential projects, I've sought to contrast spaces, forms and textures within structures. There is a fundamental Asian philosophy epitomized by the Yin and Yang. This universal duality comes down to such Buddhist verities as "black is best seen in the presence of white" or "day can not exist without night." Applied to urban philosophy, this might become adapted by us to declare that private living quarters become more private and precious when experienced in contrast to a vibrant, fast-paced neighborhood environment.

I've always found that when I focus on the Yin and Yang of a situation--whether it's the differences between the upper and lower floors of a building or a highway and its relationship to a loft--I am able to create something unique. You can see how these ideas have been implemented in other projects on my Web site at kushnerstudios.com.

ADAM KUSHNER KUSHNER STUDIOS