building area

ground floor - 3,500 SM

first floor - 2,760 SM

second floor - 4,300 SM

total - 10,560 SM

“In the name of God, stop a moment, cease your work, look around you.”

- leo tolstoy

STAR STUDIO

The spaces between one busy activity and the next one are consequential; they are there to help us to recreate, and to prepare us to get back into the game. It’s the same with institutions and buildings - the spaces in between the major destination rooms are critically important for the working of the institution. When an engineer leaves a lab to get a coffee and meets a scientist in the lounge and has a conversation, the knowledge learned there ripples for years through their lives and work.

The diverse community of designers, admin, and editors require a facility that seamlessly connects the essential spaces they use in their day to day work. The relationship between the private office, conference spaces, working office (editing etc), and studio is inextricable and seamless.

DESIGN RESPONSE

The building sits on stilts which allows light to penetrate to the parking level below grade. The stilts support a large ground floor plinth with generous planted porches at both ends.

The imposing studio spaces, which need no light, are set at the center of the plinth. They are a massive and looming feature in the building - an ever present reminder of the purpose of the tech community whose work is the genesis for the project.

A grand lobby sits on the ground floor between the large studio volumes. The north lobby contains a reception area and the grand stair which leads to the office floors above. The south lobby contains a public dining area. Flanking the lobby are a loading dock, support office spaces, conference rooms, and a kitchen and dining area.

On the upper two floors and around the giant studios are arrayed like a starburst a continuous string of offices. An open interior corridor follows the meander of the star shape and looks over the studio volumes and the void spaces below. On the studio volumes and under four large elliptical skylights is additional open office space. Stairs and bridges connect the spaces.