Dublin- and Lyon-based architecture firm the Architecture Republic design a studio for an artist; finding inspiration in the ordinary daily life of the artist himself.
To put it simply, artist John Graham works at such a large scale that he found himself more often than getting on a chair to get the height he needed to observe his work. Starting with this premise, the award-winning Architecture Republic (designers of Orla Kiehly’s flagship store in New York) designed a 270-square-foot cube at the back of Graham’s garden that provides him with a multi-functional observation platform, desk, seating, and resting area all wrapped up in one, proving once more that when form follows function, it can sing when executed with thought.
Photography by Paul Tierney via ArchDaily.
Above: The concrete ribbon as day bed.
Above: "A folding polished concrete ribbon runs around the room, up and down, making at times steps, desks and even a day bed before returning to the original datum," say the architects.
Above: "The finished floor level is sunken by 30 inches below ground level to register with the working datum of the desks, upon which the client lays large canvases," say the architects. "The works in progress, formerly assessed by standing up on a chair or laying down the work on the floor can now be viewed standing at ground level."
Above: "The ceiling is of a modest height at entrance level (7 feet 6 inches), and increases gradually when descending to the center of the room (10 feet)," say the architects.
Above: Steps formed from the concrete ribbon take you from ground level down to the center of the room.
Above: "The space is introverted, quiet and peaceful. Visual connections to the external surroundings are limited and occur only when seated," say the architects.
Above: "The long low strip windows allow light to pour in and open up to the surrounding landscape while, at the same time, offering a continuous wall space for hanging large artworks," say the architects.
Above: The board marked formed concrete speaks of texture and the hand-made.
Above: Light from the strip windows above dances on the texture of the board marked formed concrete.
Above: The light coming in through the blinds creates patterns on the board marked formed concrete.
Above: The new studio sits at the rear of the artist's modern garden in Dublin.
Above: An outdoor room is formed with gray gravel and a slatted wood fence.
Above: See the space come alive at the studio's inaugural exhibition in this video by Gregory Dunn on Vimeo.
N.B.: Looking for a small space in which to create? See 203 images of Studios in our Gallery of rooms and spaces.