LOCALbrooklyn Office
WHAT: Architecture office in old factory.
CHALLENGE: Subdividing a virtually square room with windows on only one side into usable spaces with various functions without losing the loft-like character of the original space.
STRATEGY: The space is divided into four quadrants with varying degrees of openness. The back-of house areas and wood shop are tucked away to the inside corner. In the conference area, a wall of glass bricks admits just enough light to brighten the deep room.
A bright splash of color on the rear wall lightens up the darkest surface and focuses the visitor’s eye upon entering the office from the street.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Ben Rahn, A-Frame Studio
The desks are made of standard doors set on book cases designed and made in-house. All the wood is whitewashed in order to lighten up the interior while allowing the wood grain to show through.
A colored wall, shy of the ceiling, separates the desk space from the copy and print center as well as the kitchen and bathroom areas.
A inexpensive twin-wall (polycarbonate) clerestory closes off the small wood shop from the rest of the space. Where pipes and sprinklers penetrate the clerestory, a simple wood detail resolves the connection.