Above: A view of
three story brick sculpture constructed in gray, black and white bricks.
BIG CITY LOFT and SIDEWALK CAFEDesigned and Built by PHILIP
BUCHANThis building project unfolded in several separate sessions to achieve the final result and some very extensive attention to detail. Please scroll down to view more images.
Below: A view of the front of the
BIG CITY LOFT. The three-story structure features a
sidewalk cafe on the first level, (ground floor). The CAFE has a sidewalk eating area with tables. The interior of the CAFE has a bar with stools, tables and chairs, booze bottles on shelves, a cash register and
art on the walls. Of course there is also a full-service kitchen and a restroom.
Below: A shot of the
BIG CITY LOFT from the backside. The bottom floor has a back exit from the kitchen and a blue dumpster. The second floor has a small balcony off the kitchen and the third level has a large deck outside the sleeping loft. The deck has a b
arbeque and the railings are carefully constructed of transparent pieces to give the look of glass.
Above: A close-up view of the sidewalk portion of the CAFE. A "banner" welcomes guests to the entrance. Note the "parking meter" at the curb.
Below: We see the sculpture open, as it was designed to be split into two sections for ease of viewing the interior.
Below: A close-up shot of the bar inside the
CAFE on the ground floor. Note the booze bottles on shelves behind the bar and the cocktail tray with glassware on the shiny black bar.
Below: Another shot of the CAFE interior. Visible are the tables and chairs as well as the very
avant garde artwork which is part of the Chef's personal art collection.
Above: The back section of the
structure houses the CAFE
kitchen.
Below: The restroom is also housed in the back section of the structure on the first level, through the arch and then the two swinging blue shutter doors); so the staff and
CAFE customers can get easy access. Note more artwork on the wall between the archway openings.
Below: A view through the keyhole doorway on the second floor, which houses the loft's main living space and a contemporary stairway to the third floor sleeping loft. Note the LIME GREEN chaise lounge. Other details include black smooth tiles on the floor to simulate marble and a large dark purple plate is used to indicate an area rug. There are also skylights built into the roof.
Above: A view into the
private kitchen on the second floor for the loft tenants. The kitchen is contained in the back "half" of the two part structure. Note the "glass topped" table and other cool kitchen appliances.
Below: Another view of the second floor
kitchen interior shows the
refrigerator and the back door out to a small balcony.
Above: The interior of the
bathroom on the third floor. The shower stall is constructed of clear plates and aqua caps. Also
visible is the bathroom sink. Behind the shower wall is a toilet, (not visible).
Above: Image shows
balcony and railing on third floor at the back of the building.
Above: Outside the back door of the
CAFE on the ground floor is the trash dumpster.
Below: Close-up shows the
dumpster with the lid open. A hinged-type brick combination was used to achieve this result. Note how
NEON YELLOW "jewel" bricks have been used as light fixtures.
Below: The structure back in it's "assembled" position with both sections together. The overall
baseplate area is
16x48 pegs. The front section is built on a 16x32 peg
baseplate and the back section is constructed on two 8x16
baseplates combined.
Other cool features of the
BIG CITY LOFT and SIDEWALK CAFE include some items that cannot be viewed in these shots or without removing the rooftop or other sections of the building. The
third floor sleeping loft overlooks the main living space through another "glass" railing and has a bed and other modern furniture in a purple color scheme. The
CAFE has a full-service restroom on the ground floor with a sink and toilet and even a
payphone in the hall outside the restroom!
