Upcycling a Modern Icon
A double-sided bookshelf made with reclaimed wood panels from the lobby of Chicago's IBM Building, one of Mies van der Rohe's last structures.
The Source
When The Langham hotel renovated the first 13 floors of the IBM Building, they unintentionally created a wonderful opportunity; to use materials specced by Mies van der Rohe that would otherwise be destined for a landfill.
I was fortunate enough to get my grubby little paws on the last 9 panels from the elevator lobbies just as they were set out for the dumpster.
Dumpster Diving
Panels in hand, the next step was to document the wide range of grain pattern, color, and damage of each panel to determine which ones to use for fabrication.
The Culprit
This hanging-chad of a banister was about 3 screws away from committing manslaughter. Rickety beyond repair, it's time to go.
Mass Study
To start to understand the general form and get the dimensions I'll inevitably need for the Sketchup Model, it's tape measure time.
Schematic Design
Guided by "less is more," I wanted the form to be established by a purposeful grid. The initial concepts explored the Golden Ratio for both the proportions of the overall form and shelves. Then to add visual interest and something unexpected, break the grid by removing some of the form.
Human Factors
One critical realization that came out of Schematic Design was that the bookshelf would be visually noisey once loaded up with books.
Hence, the idea for a double-sided bookshelf was born. Shelves in the user's line-of-sight would be flipped to face the staircase.
The result is quiet planes of woodgrain instead of chaotic books, magazines, and records in your face.
Design Development
As I began to explore the idea of visual weight further in Sketchup, I introduced an enclosed void. This works to my advantage in a few ways:
- The negative space helps breakup the solid mass
- The eye gravitates towards it and away from the clutter
- It provides a stage for the daylight to interact with throughout the day. This shifts the structure towards sculpture instead of merely storage.
- The void's dimensions (12" x 12" x 10") are close enough to a cube that it feels like it should be a cube. But because the width is too short, it makes the width of the overall bookcase feel narrower.
In addition to the void, I also let the media I was storing (vinyl, DVDs, books) drive the heights of rows. This shifted away from the rigid grid and let function drive the final form.
Fabrication: the skeleton
To begin fabrication, I started with the frame to gain a sense of scale. This allowed me to confirm the appropriate scale in order to make adjustments before getting too far along.
Fabrication: the faces
MDF templates were made to ensure the faces would fit perfectly. This was crucial as working with finished veneer prohibited me from doing any touchup.
Once I had the template, I used a router to trace the pattern and make a perfect copy.
Fabrication: touchup
With the new faces made and fitted, the next challenge was treating the exposed edges of the veneer. Rather than fighting another veneered edge that would never match the aged veneer, I opted to finish the edge with bondo and the paint.
This took several rounds of bondo application and sanding, but the end result was worth it. The edges fade into the background and allow the faces to pop.
Install
I've never been so happy to have a new piece of furniture. Anchoring the bookshelf on the edge of the space completely transformed the environment.
It creates a sculptural object that is experienced completely different walking upstairs verses walking downstairs. In addition, the light from the window changes the tones and visual weight keeping it always interesting.
Mies Bookshelf