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Preservation of their brick and masonry exteriors, complete with terracotta cornices, moldings, and trim, honestly maintain the wholesale and manufacturing character of the old neighborhood. Although the overall exterior look and feel is traditional and familiar, the modern retrofitting of these interior spaces is distinctly new.

In October 2003, four such spaces were part of Open House New York, which was organized to promote architectural awareness for the lay population, and to provide design professionals a peek into spaces that are normally closed to the public.

From Meatpacking to Art Tracking

Lux Studios preserved its exterior skin and opted for all new interiors. This 8,000-square-foot (740-square-meter) former gas station and auto repair shop is located in Chelsea. Because the exterior was essentially unchanged except for the small glass and steel entry storefront, it manages to inoffensively blend in with the area's turn-of-the-last-century industrial and residential brick and limestone buildings.

West Chinn of FTF Design Studio planned the interior to serve as the headquarters and working studio for fashion photographer Michael Thompson. The exposed steel and concrete industrial feel is offset by a 21-foot- (6.4-meter-) square skylight and the koi pond between the living and kitchen areas.

The upper-floor private offices serve as a "captain's nest" that overlooks the main open space and staff offices below. In addition to serving as a working studio, the building is available for private parties and charity events, completing the wishes of the client to create a simple and beautiful multiuse space.

Shopping — 19th Century Style

Chelsea Market stands apart from any other supermarket in the city, giving a whole new atmosphere for the urban shopping experience. The building, which currently houses a score of eateries and flower, plant, kitchen supply, and antique shops, began its 100-plus-year life as a factory and then later as the headquarters for Nabisco.

The entire complex is one million square feet (93,000-square meters) of space divided among 18 brick warehouse buildings, tightly nestled across an entire city block. The numerous loading docks, which run along the entire perimeter of the building, allow the transfer of materials to the various stores within.

The shops make, store, and prepare their products for customers who traverse the complex through an 800-foot (244-meter) winding double-loaded corridor. The 1998 building conversion to the current market space by Vandeberg Architects has satisfied several of the architect's and developer's goals.

The market's unique character is achieved through a detailed juxtaposition of original, natural materials with new synthetic elements. All of the original brick and stone surfaces were either left intact or sandblasted to enhance the aged look.

Windows, glass block, and steel plates, rails, and columns were installed throughout the market. Full-height glass walls line the concourse, allowing views into the stores. Exposed beams and cast-iron lintels complete the modern spaces, highlighting evidence of its industrial origins.

In addition to the dynamic interior, the main entrance on Ninth Avenue is designated by a steel and glass ladder twisting up the front face of the building. It flies in front of aqua stripes spanning horizontally, alternating under and over the evenly spaced row of protruding brick columns.

Vitra Showroom

Architect Lindy Roy gave new life to an unassuming 1898 Italianate masonry building. The glass and steel first-floor storefront gives the heavy looking building a new set of high-strength, low-weight steel and glass legs, which make the building look invigorated and ready to run away in a marathon.

Inside, the 12,500-square-foot (1160-square-meter), three-story space (basement and two floors) comes to life. In places, the floor is cut through to reveal double- and even triple-height ceilings. Floor-transcending curvilinear elements artfully guide your eye and body through various book, furniture, and art exhibits on display and for sale.

The dynamic, steel-framed, rubber wrapped elements also guide your eye up to the high ceilings, the private offices on the top floor, and to the rotating gallery space in the basement. The glass balustrade and open stair leading from the small entry lobby to the basement gallery level work well with the curvilinear display elements, providing a sense of continuity among all three floors.

Warehouse for Art

The Bohen Foundation, housed in a 19-century warehouse in Manhattan's meatpacking district, recently had its main floor and basement transformed into a unique art gallery. LOT-EK Architecture converted the 15,000 square feet (1400 square meters) into a series of flexible spaces well suited to handle large-scale art and sculpture exhibits.

The architects designed the space incorporating their trademark shipping containers, painted bright red. The containers, some cut away, some with glass walls, serve as display areas, offices, and a library. Each of the containers rests on tracks that allow them to move back and forth within the open first floor plan with the ease of railroad cars.

Additional full-height wall panels guided by an upper track hugging the 16-foot (4.9-meter) ceiling, complement the gallery's design flexibility. Together, the red cars, white walls, and steel tracks help create an exciting, dynamic space that recalls the industrial origins of the meatpacking district and the ways in which food items were moved around in it.

The success of these four projects and a few others under construction today will undoubtedly become models for future developments in New York and elsewhere. Presently, there is as much interest in technological advances as in the equally important conservation — of electricity, fossil fuels, natural resources, and air quality.

While architects will continue to craft exciting ground-up buildings using the latest materials and methods, existing buildings will still be chosen for revitalization. One hopes they will enjoy the same quality of design and technology integration that transformed these four projects into prime examples of cybernetic architecture.

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Peter Gaito Jr.is an architect who works with his father's firm, Peter F. Gaito and Associates, in White Plains, New York. He has been published in ArchitectureWeek, Architectural Record, Oculus, and Crain's NY.

Chelsea Market, by Vandeberg Architects, is a modern supermarket carved out of 19th-century warehouses. The main facade features woven brass spandrels and a steel and glass canopy heralding the new entrance. Photo: Casey Gordon Inside Chelsea Market is an "industrial strength" fountain that recirculates groundwater. It is made from granite roughbacks and discarded drill bits. Photo: Mikio Sekita The central concourse of Chelsea Market features self-supporting catenary "jackhammer" arches. Photo: James Shanks In the Vitra Showroom by architect Lindy Roy, curvilinear elements guide the eye through furniture exhibits. Photo: Richard Barnes The Vitra Showroom. Photo: Richard Barnes Curving glass and steel elements of the Vitra Showroom transform a 1898 Italianate masonry building. Photo: Richard Barnes A 19-century warehouse in Manhattan's meatpacking district, fitted with cut and painted shipping containers, makes display and office space for the Bohen Foundation. Photo: Paul Warchol The Bohen Foundation space, designed by LOT-EK Architecture. Photo: Paul Warchol   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.