Shenkar_Pernick

The Pernik Building housing the Shenkar Deparment of Fashion is the first building completed within our new urban renewal plan for the Shenkar Campus. The planning included renovation of the old administration building, addition of two new floors, the interior design of offices, studios, sewing rooms and display areas. The building is entirely encased in a white steel exoskeleton used for constructive strengthening for the additional floors upon the existing structure, per earthquake resistance policy. Aluminum louvers are hung upon the steel frame in varying densities within fixed modules. Inspired by the program, the facade is designed as a “fabric” covering the building, unifying the new and the existing into one entity, and providing climate control. Colored glass “Exhibition Boxes” project out, allowing students to display their designs to the public. Relating to the craftsmanship within the field of fashion, and referencing the old mill spaces of the industrial era, the ceilings of the studios expose the building’s stitches - its systems and steel beam construction, all colored in white creating an airy industrial loft-like space with the building’s layers revealed. The studios and the main hallway are separated by partial height drywall niches with glass partitions above, through which the systems and beams penetrate. Within the niches clusters of lockers align the hallway, colored randomly creating a dynamic spatial quality. The louvers and glass boxes create a play of patterns of shadows and colored reflections throughout the day, resonating the concept of layered “fabric” upon and within the building.