Project Description
This adaptive reuse project transforms the most banal of commercial box buildings into a light-filled courtyard office space specifically outfitted for a discerning, high-end residential builder with an exclusive clientele. Architectural design for the building was driven by four main objectives: to embody the client’s enigmatic brand, to embrace the industrial aesthetic, to strategically introduce natural day-lighting, and to execute the project efficiently via a well-detailed, judicious use of materials. In response to the client’s desire for anonymity, the exterior presents a quietly ambiguous face to the nearby highway. A thin membrane of weathering corrugated steel wraps the exterior in understated boldness and is raised away from the dark stucco base to express its autonomy from the building. Deep window apertures are punctured through this skin and articulated by steel shadow boxes offset by dark black metal panels.
An unexpected surprise inside this large office space are two large atrium courtyards that wash the office with daylight and transparency and create a window-lined central conference room between them at the center of the building. The courtyards and a series of skylights define specific functions of the floor plan through natural daylight. Upon entering, raw materials play off finer details and custom fixtures, and the overall industrial aesthetic is warmed by the color of the exposed, sandblasted wood roof structure and new wood floors.