28 Jan 2019
Cool Workspaces
With a design brief which required Roger.TV's 5,000 square foot warehouse to be transformed into a creative workplace, CHA:COL were engaged to bring the existing shell, once a garment manufacturing workhouse, up to current safety regulations and transform it into a flexible working space.
The program brief needed to address dedicated work areas for 30 animators, 6 producers with 4 private offices, 3 editing suites, 2 conference rooms, 3 new restrooms, a large and high clear area for a green screen mockup shoot area, a central pantry, a lounge and a flexible workspace.
The design proposed a central area (nicknamed The Pit) for meeting, working, eating and lounging needs. The Pit is an orthogonal, multi-faceted armature and has been custom designed as an open shell with laminated plywood and light gauge framing. The surrounding loop houses a reception area, a lunch/work countertop that dovetails into a seating area, bleachers for visual artists facing the producers as well as a library and display shelving system. The area was located in the centre of the workspace to spatially divide private and public areas, and mediate both the horizontal and the vertical.
Adjacent to this area is a staging zone for photo shoots, and a green screen shoot mockup area. The mezzanine houses the post-production portion of the studio, including acoustic editing suites and recording areas. A ship ladder allows access to the rooftop and the restrooms are fitted out with accessible shower space, since many video creatives work nocturnal hours.
A key challenge designing for this space was the creation of a diverse settings within a relatively modest floor space as well as working within interior shell height limitations in order to surgically insert new foundations, framing and floor plates.
The materials used to create the majority of design elements are a combination of architectural grade plywood and lacquered board panels, all set on light gauge steel frames. The existing concrete main floor has been buffed, polished and sealed and a mezzanine engineered as a slender steel frame structure to complete the stunning yet functional space.
Share this article