Smart Design Studio

The readapted industrial building houses a purpose designed studio for our multi-disciplinary design practice Smart Design Studio. A mezzanine with four meeting rooms overlooks the light-filled space through the existing slender steel trusses. A dramatic caretaker’s apartment on the top floor runs the length of the building. The interior celebrates the joy of the architectural process and making, it reflects our design and work processes. Four 14m long freestanding joinery units create a square ‘room’ with five long desks within. These joinery units serve as large ‘picture frames’ with pinned up design sketches and documentation drawings which cycle throughout our projects. 10 large display cases at the end of each workspace bring order and rhythm to the space. Behind the freestanding joinery units are ancillary spaces including materials library, model workshop, canteen and reception. Trusses, cranes and floors were retained and complemented with industrial elements such as the sculptural steel wire balustrade. The four self-supporting brick-lined catenary vaults of the caretaker’s residence are a game changer in interior design. In this space, joinery units cleverly and sensitively unite the 4 vaults and provide storage in a space without walls. The result is a unique and avant garde approach to interior design and modern living.