Office in a warehouse

Architecture & interior renovation of an industrial shed to an office

PROJECT AREA:  6500 Sq.ft.  |   Completed May '98

We rebuilt a completely run down warehouse in a working class, industrial neighbourhood to create an office space. The challenge was to re-build this structure conserving the industrial history of the original structure and its environs.  We then had to slice through the volume created and divide it into several airtight compartments.  This led to some strong architectural statements – long coloured walls meticulously punctured by glass, juxtaposed with neutral, nonsense furniture.  

The project was an exploration of materials & details at the micro level in order to achieve spatial  success at the macro level.  However, for us the success of the space is the final impression as exclaimed by most visitors – ‘a happy working space.’

The roof represented an irresistible challenge – to let the sunlight in, and to lend its grace and form to the workspace.  So this perhaps was the primary design feature – the pipe metal trusses, their strength belied by the juxtaposition of the transparent strip skylight just above them. The roof had to fly and gently lift the staircase into its fold!