Manhattan Transfer: Geothermal Technology in the City
(Page 4 of 4)
January/February 2003
By Robyn Griggs Lawrence
The house is technologically savvy and chic, yet it also envelops and nurtures the young family. Much of this is because of the natural finishes John and Sarah chose—and they were able to afford many of these largely because of John’s persistence. As an architect, he is constantly exposed to high-end goods, yet he built his home on a budget.
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When he fell in love with door handles made by an Italian manufacturer, he called the company and learned that it had several “rejects” available because of manufacturing problems. He negotiated a deal with Bulthaup on the kitchen, using black Marmoleum flooring on the face of the cabinets; he was one of the first designers in the United States to use it.
He learned that Toto, which makes high-end low-flush toilets, needed a New York City installation to garner city building inspectors’ approval, so he took the risk—and a deep discount. He scored again with Fine Paints of Europe, a European maker of highly pigmented, low-toxic acrylic paint. “I cajoled the company into giving us the paint at a significant discount because of the uniqueness of the project,” he says.
In several cases, John simply found cheaper—though just as luxurious—alternatives to high-end products. The shower door in the master bathroom is simply an etched glass closet door fitted with rubber gaskets; the alternative, a solid glass shower door, was twice as much.
The stair treads on the seven-story staircase are made of inch-thick slabs of recycled glass, which was cheaper than concrete or stone. The handrail for the seven-story central stair was very costly, so John slid a large piece of stainless steel mesh used in filtration plants between the stairs. “It’s like woven tapestry, but out of steel,” he says.
And the result? “I feel blessed to have so much space and light in the city,” John concludes. “The kids have really enjoyed the vertical nature of the house—it’s great for hide and seek—and I have found it a wonderful laboratory for future developments.”
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