MESH Architectures

Residential Houses
MESH publications + exhibitions
I.D., 53rd Annual Design Review, July/August 2007
The New York Times, After Open Water, Lots of Open Spaces,
July 12, 2007
Frame Magazine, Jetblue Story Booth Sept/Oct 2006
Spafnder, Downtown Duplex, Sep. Oct. 2006
The NY Times, The Cheap Fix, Alexandra Lange, Aug 31, 2006
Sign Builder Illustrated, Jetblue Story Booth, August 2006
MARU Magazine, Korea, Overseas interior, February 2006
Randomaccessmemory.org, Morsel Gallery, Brooklyn 2005
Salons and Spas, The Architecture of Beauty, Oscar Bond Salon, 2005
The New American Apartment, James G.Trulove, 2005 forthcoming
Bathroom, D&D Publishing, Parsons apartment, Mott street loft,
Downtown Duplex, 2004
Complete Bathroom Design, Quarry , A working bath, 2004
Metropolis, A city that forgets it past loses its soul(Storycorps),
January 2004
ID Magazine, Chat Room(Storycorps Booth), October 2003
Archi-Tech, Hybrid Design: MESH Architectures, November-
December 2003
The Smart Loft, James G.Trulove, Harper Design International, 2003
Architectural Record, For the emerging architect, June 2003
The Architectural League, Young Architects_4 Material Process, 2003
The New York Times, Oral History Project Wants Nation of Interviews,
May 7, 2003
New York Magazine, Fabulous Baths(Parsons Apt), April 2003
Metropolis Magazine, Like on Noahs Ark(Downtown Duplex),
January 2003
New York Magazine, 100 Best Architects & Decorators, October 2002
Surface, The Future of the Skyscraper n. 38.
The Architecture League, Young Architects Forum, June 2002
Interior Design, Light Bright(Milestone Offce), March 2001
Konichi-wa (Japan), Manhattan Style, February 2001
Frame Magazine, Digital Hair Jan/Feb 2001
Interiors Magazine, Interiors Awards January 2001
Saturday Night, (Canadas National Post) Screenplay July 29, 2000
Interior Design, Rinse, Set, Surf(Bond Salon), April 2000
Surface Magazine,Bond Salon, n. 22
New York Magazine, Just Say Glow, April 21, 2000
I.D., Review of Random Access Memory, March 2000
New York Magazine, The Internets Gift Is a Wider Bazaar by Eric
Liftin in Times, December 25, 2000
New York Times Magazine, Times Capsule feature, December 5, 1999
Boston, Carriage Trade, Susannah Clark. October 1998.
Metropolis, Sizing Up the City: Rem Koolhaas by Eric Liftin, 1995
MESH ARCHITECTURES
Eric Liftin founded MESH in 1997 as a hybrid architectural practice
to design both architectural spaces and Web sites, with a focused
objective of forging new relationships between people and their
environments in the age of the network.
Visualization of spaces in software is only one application of digital
technology in architecture. MESH strives to integrate interaction of
people over a network and information into architectural experience,
bringing electronic, network media into the design process. People are
building offces in their homes to avoid long commutes. Companies
are conferring over computer screens. Shopping occurs in a desk
chair at midnight. The crossover of architecture and digital technology
is leading to new spatial confgurations and, in turn, to new kinds of
events and modes of dwelling.
Conversely, the designers of Web sites rarely think architecturally.
Most sites still resemble an ATM interface of multiple-choice
button navigation. Sophisticated, well-conceived sites, however,
pose architectural questions about circulation, adjacency, hierarchy,
and community. When these issues are considered, the space of
information can emulate urban space, incorporating its complexity,
spontaneity, and intensity. For several years, Liftin has been
developing the concept of Web urbanism to bring urban theory to bear
on Internet space.
MESH works proactively to integrate material and digital
environments. We consider digital spaces on the network to be
extensions of physical space. It will soon be impossible to conceive
an architectural space without imagining how it is connected to
information networks. When designing architectural and electronic
spaces in tandem, we aim to create a continuously experienced space-
part physical, part digital.
At any given time, the frm is executing architectural projects and
developing Web sites. The balance between these project types varies
over the course of the year. The Web sites tend to be database-driven
sites that, ideally, enable the dynamic of visitor interaction to shape
the site. Architectural projects have been mostly in New York, ranging
from private residences to offce space to retail.
Please contact:
Eric Liftin
MESH Architectures
www.mesh-arc.com
68 Jay St, Suite 213
New York, NY 11201
v 212.989.3884 l f 212.989.2335
info@mesh-arc.com
Williamsburg House
Brooklyn, NY
Size: 2500 sf
2008-present
Folding door tableau
New York City
Size: 560 sf renovation
2008
Prince Street Loft
New York City
Size: 700sf loft renovation
2008
Upper West Side Apartment
New York City
Size: 850sf
2008
Park Slope Rec Room
New York City
Size: 730sf basement addition
2008
Eldridge Street Roof
New York City
Size: 1,200sf roof terrace addition;
2007
Ben White House
House addition and transformation
Jersey City, New Jersey
Size: 1800 sf
2007
Wooster Street Loft
New York City
Size: 3,000 sf
2006
Tenth Street House
House addition and renovation
Brooklyn, New York
Size: 3000 sf
2005
Basalt House
House addition and transformation
Basalt, Colorado
Size: 4500 sf
2005
Vertical Loft House
Complete house transformation
Brooklyn, New York
Size: 3200 sf
2005
Lightbox Loft
Residential loft with LED
lightboxes
New York City
Size: 2000 sf
2005
Riverside Drive Apartment
New York City
2,500 sf
2004
Grouf House Hollywoodland
House transformation
Hollywood, California
Size: 5000 sf
2004
Midtown Triplex
Transformation of 3-story
penthouse
New York City
Size: 4500 sf
2003
Robinson-Johnson House
House transformation
Brooklyn, New York
Size: 3000 sf
2003
Clinton St House
Floor addition and renovation
Brooklyn, New York
Size: 3000 sf
2003
Downtown Duplex, New York
New York City
Size: 4000 sf
2003
Prince Street Triple
Multi-apartment renovation
New York City
Size: 3000 sf
2002
Parsons Apartment
Brooklyn, New York
Size: 1200 sf
2002
Mercer Street Loft
New York City
Size: 4500 sf
2002
The Apartment of Rachel Greene
New York City
Size: 1400 sf
2001
Lincoln Double, New York
New York City
Size: 2000 sf
2001
Mott Street Loft
New York City
Size: 3200 sf
2001
Schmieder-Adamczyk Apartment
Brooklyn, New York
Size: 1000 sf
2000
Greenwich Street Loft
New York City
Size: 3300 sf
1999
Genetic Arts Barn
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Size: 1000 sf
1997
Residential project list
VERTICAL LOFT HOUSE
Brooklyn 2006
3200 sf
Owners who wanted a loft bought a Victorian-style
Park Slope house. The challenge was to open the
house to space and light without neutering its
character. This is accomplished with two related
gestures: First, open the parlor foor as a large open
space for family living. Then open a zone through
the middle of the house that ascends to a large
skylight, to bring light down and animate the central
circulation. In this zone, fnishes are translucent
panels or peeled back to reveal the old structure.
Lighting in the zone is by pipe lights, designed and
fabricated by MESH.
Section Parlor Floor
2nd Floor
3rd Floor
Roof
Axonometric
PARK SLOPE REC ROOM
New York City, 2008
800 sf
It was a common brownstone cellar: dirt foor
and 6 headroom, with pipes and conduit tangled
throughout. After underpinning and excavation we
liberated a new habitable foor for a newly expanded
family. Bright colors in the cabinetry, linoleum
foor, and lightbox make up for the lack of regular
windows, although the old coal chute, converted into
a skylight, admits sunlight.
before
before
after
TENTH STREET HOUSE
New York City, 2005
2400sf
Extending the rear of this houses garden
level foods it with light, transforming a dark
basement into a sun-flled family space. The
10-foot addition features skylights and glass
doors. The new foors and countertops are
salvaged Vermont butternut.
GENETIC ARTS BARN
Cambridge, Massachusets, 1997
1,000sf
How do you take an old carriage house
designed for horses and chickens and turn
it into a functional, fully wired offce space
while preserving traces of its historical
signifcance?
MESH translated existing elements - the
barn door opening becomes a glazed
entry, the hay door a picture window, and
the cupola a light shaft - and designed
components to serve double duty- peeling
away stripsof the second foor exposes the
old wood joists while creating a light well.
The rafter ties become steel cables wired
for lighting.
Within only 1000 square feet, the
reconfgured foors and variable lighting
system provides a range of spatial
experiences. Most of the lights are designed
and built of plumbing pipe by the architect.
PARK SLOPE GARAGE
New York City, 2004
1000sf
A row house blessed with a curb cut and the
luxurious opportunity for a private garage.
Charged with expanding the house to enclose
a car, we redesigned the facade and entry
at garage level. Ipe wood planks maintain a
modest scale and restrained but intriguing
visual texture.
DOWNTOWN DUPLEX
New York, 2003
4000sf
The duplex loft starts from the concept of a loft as a
microcosmic urban space, an oversized setting for
activities and events. By creating loosely connected
zones with varied environments, the home becomes
a dynamic setting for exploration and concentration.
Small LCD screens throughout the space, embed-
ded in walls, furniture, and cabinetry, provide access
to the Home Operating System, a web-based home
control and communication system. This system is
not only internal it connects the micro-urban space
of the loft out to the electronic urban space of the
Web. This exterior-viewless home becomes at once
an inward-focused sanctuary and an active site for
mediated connection to the outside world.
ELDRIDGE STREET ROOF
New York City, 2007
1,200 sf roof terrace addition
A complete roof-deck makeover combines views
and privacy in Manhattans lower east side. A can-
tilevered steel stair, sheltered in a wood planked
bulk-head connects the original apartment to the
deck. Finished in sustainably harvested ipe, the deck
environment integrates plantings, outdoor shower-
ing and dining areas as well as concealed storage.
The deck terminates at its north end in a screen of
blue-grey concrete fber board underscoring views
on the city skyline.
Acquired by estate sale, a 3-story house
had not been touched in decades. The layout
was of another era, with the kitchen in the
basement. We designed the kitchen in the
middle of the main foor, between a front
dining area and living room in the rear. Dark
wood paneling and millwork was kept and
coexists with a modern, lab-supply kitchen
and custom, illuminated shelving.
ROBINSON JOHNSON HOUSE
New York City, 2003
2500sf
A renovation of two neighboring Nolita
apartments, focusing on kitchen and baths,
for a bachelor. The spaces are modest,
so they open up for integrated living. The
kitchen is outfitted in lab fixtures and
cabinets. The bath, open to the bedroom,
seduces with a warm, wood floor and a
generous, pharmacy-style cabinet.
PRINCE STREET DOUBLE
New York City, 2004
2000sf
This house in Cobble Hill was a run-down,
3-family affair. MESH designed a complete
renovation, preserving some elements
while bringing kitchen and baths to modern
standards. Historic and contemporary coexist
harmoniously.
CLINTON STREET HOUSE
New York City, 2003
4800sf
A condition particular to the Hollywood Hills:
A large house was built into the slope, with
street access down low, living space at the
top, and stunning 360 views farther up from
the pool terrace. A remarkable vertical se-
quence, dampened by a tired, 1980s design.
Hollywood loves rejuvenation and rebirth.
For a limited budget, we nipped and tucked to
achieve freshness, suffused with California
light and openness.
HOLLYWOOD FACELIFT
Los Angeles, 2004
3800sf
before
before after
after
before after
before after
Neighborhood Corridor :
No Mow

Mow 1x per 3-4 years
Mow 1x per year
Lawn - Mow 1x per week
CO HABITAT
Amanual for the sustainable suburb
U T I L P
U T I L P
U T I L P
Dragonfly
Fairy Shrimp
Mole
Salamander
Box Turtle
Wood Frog
Northern Flicker
Screech Owl
American Kestrel Squirrel
Mouse
Cottontail Rabbit Opossum
Raccoon
Tiger Swallowtail
Brown Thrasher
Earthworm
O2
CO2
Infiltration
Precipitation
Thermal Mass for heat storage
Summer
sun
Winter
sun
Photovoltaic Solar Panels
for convertion of solar energy
to electricity
Water harvesting
and storage in
cistern for cleaning,
flushing, watering
Detention and
cleansing of runoff
Natural Ventilation
CO2 sink
Photosynthesis
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= 420sf
materials
systems
walls cast concrete
cellulose insulation
reusable shared forms
fly ash concrete
partitions
biofiber wheat composite board
homasote
roofing corrugated zinc
sunslates PV shingles
flooring
COR wood tiles
structure
parallamOSB
millwork
bamboo plywood
shetkastone countertops
riverstones
heating
cooling
rainwater treatment
graywater treatment
photovoltaic low-volt E
lighting
insulation
active solar roof heating roof piping
hot water heater
radiant floor piping
heat pump
heat exchanger
ducting/registers
rainwater cistern
rainwater filtration
house water tank
graywater filtration
toilet/irrigation tank
sunslates PV shingles
storage batteries
LEDfloor lighting
habitats
birdhouses
planters
example:
electricity
used, 12V
bat tery
capacity
photovoltaic
intensity
solar heat
temp.
rainwat er
stored
gray wat er
stored
solid waste
composted
fuel used
regional resource information
All houses connected in a network. Components of each vary by site.
House Information Dashboard Open Source Design Components
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Collects and treats rainwater for domestic use.
Excess flows to bioswale. Treat sink waste for toilets
and irrigation .
0|/|, | /I||0
Other roof collects solar heat in pipes that run to hot
water heater and radiant floor, for gentle warmth.
/|| \0| |||
Cast walls in reusable, rented forms in
modular sections. Blow cellulose insulation
into interstitial cavities.
0|/|||0I||0|I\
Electronics run on low-volt DC, the natural
product of solar cells. Create safer, efficient
home wiring with car-style jacks.
Super-low-power LEDs for ambient lighting.
/||0/||
Monitors house functions, coordinates
systems. Wired to COHABITAT Network for
real-time information on upgrades and
cleaner living.
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Changes interior air, providing supplemental heat
or cooling if necessary. Sorting bins move waste
into garage and soil.
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The house fits into Gainsboro in scale and form. A
welcoming front porch and grassy
terrace-sur-garage encourages interaction.
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C2C\OS
We will engineer a new digital informational systemthat supports,
monitors, connects, and maintains the construction of a new physical home
and landscape throughout the stages of its life. Building components,
materials, and equipment are organized in an evolving database
incorporating feedback frombuilders, manufacturers, and dwellers.
Planning &Building
Orientation and siting, desired layout plans and materials, and construction
methods are detailed.
Living &Maintaining
The C2C\OS(operating system) monitors the mechanical and electrical
systems, assesses water, waste, temperature and weather, and makes
decisions based on reducing energy consumption and increasing comfort.
For example, is enough heat coming fromsolar heating or should the heat
pump be switched on? Is the water cistern full? Is there a northern flicker
in the nest box?
Disassembly & Reuse
When a component is taken out of service, whether as part of an upgrade,
renovation, or complete demolition, the database contains information about
disassembly, recycling and/or disposal.
We intend to build not only a house and garden for the Hackley Avenue site, but a
systemfor building sustainable structures and landscapes that can be integrated
into the daily lives of pe ople, and embedded in industrial processes. The
COHABITAT shelter harnesses and organizes energy fromsun, rain, wind,
materials, and biomass effectively and transparently, fostering participation and
exchange by the user and the community.
Sun Sun
Waste Waste Water Water
ORGANIZES THE FLOW
of water, waste and energy
IS COMFORTABLE
for animals and people
NETWORKS TOGETHER
dwellers, builders, and industry, products and users,
environmental data and house functions, habitat
corridors and migration patterns
c2c/COHABITAT COMPETITION
New York City, 2004
We will engineer a new digital informational system
that supports, monitors, connects, and maintains
the construction of a new physical home and
landscape throughout the stages of its life. Building
components, materials, and equipment are organized
in an evolving database incorporating feedback from
builders, manufacturers, and dwellers.
Planning & Building
Orientation and sitting, desired layout plans and
materials, and construction methods are detailed.
Living & Maintaining
The C2C\OS (operating system) monitors the
mechanical and electrical systems, assesses
water, waste, temperature and weather, and makes
decisions based on reducing energy consumption
and increasing comfort. For example, is enough heat
coming from solar heating or should the heat pump
be switched on? Is the water cistern full? Is there a
northern ficker in the nest box?
Disassembly & Reuse
When a component is taken out of service, whether
as part of an upgrade, renovation, or complete
demolition, the database contains information about
disassembly, recycling and/or disposal.
6. Water Wall
Collects and treats rainwater for domestic use.
Excess flows to bioswale. Treat sink waste for toilets
and irrigation.
4. Solar Heating
Other roof collects solar heat in pipes that run to hot
water heater and radiant floor, for gentle warmth.
3. Wall modules
Cast walls in reusable, rented forms in
modular sections. Blow cellulose insulation
into interstitial cavities.
2. Solar Electricity
Electronics run on low-volt DC, the natural
product of solar cells. Create safer, efficient
home wiring with car-style jacks.
Super-low-power LEDs for ambient lighting.
1. Dashboard
Monitors house functions, coordinates
systems. Wired to COHABITAT Network for
real-time information on upgrades and
cleaner living.
5. Air & Waste Wall
Changes interior air, providing supplemental heat
or cooling if necessary. Sorting bins move waste
into garage and soil.
COHABITAT neighborhood
The house fits into Gainsboro in scale and form. A
welcoming front porch and grassy
terrace-sur-garage encourages interaction.
6. Water Wall
Collects and treats rainwater for domestic use.
Excess flows to bioswale. Treat sink waste for toilets
and irrigation.
4. Solar Heating
Other roof collects solar heat in pipes that run to hot
water heater and radiant floor, for gentle warmth.
3. Wall modules
Cast walls in reusable, rented forms in
modular sections. Blow cellulose insulation
into interstitial cavities.
2. Solar Electricity
Electronics run on low-volt DC, the natural
product of solar cells. Create safer, efficient
home wiring with car-style jacks.
Super-low-power LEDs for ambient lighting.
1. Dashboard
Monitors house functions, coordinates
systems. Wired to COHABITAT Network for
real-time information on upgrades and
cleaner living.
5. Air & Waste Wall
Changes interior air, providing supplemental heat
or cooling if necessary. Sorting bins move waste
into garage and soil.
COHABITAT neighborhood
The house fits into Gainsboro in scale and form. A
welcoming front porch and grassy
terrace-sur-garage encourages interaction.
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Select Press and
Publication