Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/61746
Span Systems created the roof for this garage and for the Bank of America Pavilion. This architectural marvel elevates storage to an art form. THE MODERN OVERLOOK to remain anonymous) suggested using it for a garage. This client wanted something far grander than a place to store the family's two cars; his vision was for an architectural showpiece with a Piet Mondrian-inspired design to complement the recently com- pleted house, a dynamic contemporary form perched on a ridge, featuring curtains of glass and a soaring curved roof. Gleysteen jumped at W the challenge. Before architecture school he had worked as a sculptor, and this project would be "the first that required the skills, creativity, and vision devel- oped in art school," he says. Those skills were put to the test as he faced one obstacle after another on what was, after all, a garage. After discovering structural issues with the original glass, he was forced to replace it with new glass, which opened up the design to a much cleaner and more exciting result. For the roof, made from a Teflon-coated Fiberglass fabric, he con- tacted Span Systems, the company that built the roof on the Bank of America Pavilion. "From an engineering standpoint, [the roof ] really is quite amazing," says Gleysteen, who created what appears to be a tent resting softly atop a box. "We had a lot of fun engineer- ing maintenance systems that hile building a modern home in Manchester-by-the- Sea, architect Marcus Gleysteen of Marcus Gleysteen Architects wound up with a surplus of unused glass. On seeing the pile of excess material, the client (who prefers the goods • Tented mono- filament Teflon roof by Span Systems • Indirect uplights designed by Gleysteen and installed by Elliptipar • The space doubles as an entertainment/ workout room for the family. paintings inspired the geometric panels. Piet Mondrian's are utterly hassle-free," he adds. Waterproof openings, or small pockets in the roof fabric, were added so it could be cleaned of mildew and dirt with a regular hosing inside and out. The paneled doors are lightweight and easy to open, offering a view of the sea just over the ledge where the house stands. The client didn't need bells and whistles for the cars—the garage would act strictly as a storage spot for the family's two workaday autos. But Gleysteen added uplights to show off the room's interior, which make the building glow at night. While the garage's soft roof provides a striking visual counterpoint to the sharp lines of the modern, sculptural house, "One doesn't upstage the other," says Gleysteen. "The purpose of the garage is to be a wonderful piece of sculpture." 106 bostoncommon-magazine.com this page, opposite page: photography by marcus gleysteen