Function after form: from old auto repair to live/work space
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 13 май 2017
- Two decades ago, architects David Yocum and Brian Bell were new to Atlanta and looking for an abandoned building that they could “reimagine”. They found their opportunity in a crumbling former auto repair shop. Yocum bought it for $40,000 and spent the next three years working nights and weekends to make it into a home for himself and his wife.
Most of the roof had already collapsed so Yocum removed what remained over the front half of the building and created an open courtyard. Since the remaining building had no windows, to add light, he installed a wall of glass doors for the front and skylights. To ensure that the back of the building- at the time the bedroom and living room- wouldn’t be too dark, he didn’t build any solid walls inside the structure. Instead the rooms in the middle of the space- the kitchen, mechanical room, and bathroom- have “slivers” for walls to filter light from the front to the back.
“If we had solid walls and no skylights it would be quite oppressive,” explains Yocum. “So if you imagine the idea of a skylight where you’re cutting a hole to the sky, the same attitude was taken with these walls. Instead of having solid walls, we would have just a series of small slivers.”
Yocum and Bell began their architecture practice (BLDGS) in the front of the building, but eventually, both the firm and Yocum’s wife wanted more space, so the couple moved out and today the entire space is an office.
The exterior of the building still retains the abandoned look, mostly due to the sealed-shut windows, and the architects like keeping it anonymous. “It’s in the heart of the city, but it’s also a bit of an oasis”.
Inside, now that the courtyard is exposed to the elements, the walls change with the years: paints fall off, the metal windows develop more and more patina. For Yocum and Bell, this aging is a beautiful thing.
“Beauty can be found in a lot of places,” explains Yocum who thinks the reimagining of buildings can be done more often. “It’s no different from a city that’s been around for 600 years, is that you find ways to reuse structures and you discover what you can and you turn it into something new. It’s a very natural approach to things. I think what’s interesting is that it can lead to unexpected situations. ”
BLDGS Architects: www.bldgs.org/
Photo credit: interior photo- Dwight Eschliman eschlimanstudio.com/; all others- BLDGS
Original story: faircompanies.com/videos/func... 
Хобби
Loved the concept of repurposing things instead of tearing down and rebuilding. His analogy of that "it's no different than a city that's been around for 600 years and you learn to repurpose..." is spot on.
I'd love to convert an old shop into something like this. Room and facilities for my favorite hobby and work, and living space to walk into after
I like it. The exterior walls and the courtyard tell the story of the space's previous life. Fantastic job with the segmented interior walls that let through light and air and allow for a shared view of the courtyard.
I would love to work in a place like that. That outdoor space reminds me a lot of the architecture/design building I studied in London. When I was tired of being in front of my computer just modelling or drawing I used to buy some coffee, just sit in the outside area and breathe. Instead of souds of trains we had airplanes (the city airport was just in front of the Uni, marked by the thames river) lovely memories.
This is fantastic. I did a similar re-imagination of a horse barn. Now it is my studio and I kept many elements. It is a discovery akin to sculpture. The place shows you what it is. Great job.
Three years ago we were looking around Chicago for a place to renovate for a live-work space. There were many interesting industrial properties but SO many of them were near train tracks. No go for us, especially because part of our property would be used as a photo studio for clients. More power to these architects for choosing this site but when the go to sell the property a realtor is not going to list it as "conveniently close to train tracks"...
What an excellent aesthetic, minimalist vision and accomplishment. So much sense went into this creation.
Your channel has inspired me to major in Interior Architecture and do projects like this for a living! Thank you :)
I hold a Journeyman card in Architectural sheet metal & Commercial Waterproofing/Roofing as well as a licensed Crane operator & Certified in 3 types of welding ,I'm well versed in rough carpentry ,Steel work and assorted other building Trade skills learned from 45 yrs in commercial & industrial construction, I can't express how impressed I am at what you've accomplished, very few men who don't work commercial construction for a living could have accomplished what you've done ,I myself could have done the demo work & most of the retrofit remodel but I wouldn't of had the foresight to imagine that old rotten warehouse as the space you've created out of it ,you should be proud of the mammoth task you accomplished that very few others could have done .
This comment was just one huuuuge flex
This is a Roman idea; an anonymous outer wall, surrounding an inner courtyard with rooms built into the surrounding wall. They need to put a small fountain, benches and container gardens in the courtyard. And a roofed area with benches and small tables. To sit under when it's raining or too sunny. The container gardens should be a mix of herbs, vegetables and flowering bushes. They may want to put some mosaic pictures in the floor of the courtyard. Sigh. Classical Studies graduate.
andy droid lol ya, he didnt say so but i suspect thats a big reason for the plain exterior
Lol yeah although all those expensive cars always parked in that drive way might be a dead give away?.................. Expensive Cars + derelict building = Grow House, Meth Lab, Expensive hidden office, etc.......
That's exactly what I was thinking. I love the old Roman style homes with the enclosed self contained courtyards. Completely surrounded by living spaces or walls. ...maybe it's just an introverted thing, but I think it's a very cool idea.
@alison webster It's a design I really like. I wish there were modern architectural blueprints of updated or modern designs like this.
Actually it’s not a Roman idea... this courtyard style architecture existed all over the Mediterranean and Middle East. The Romans got it from the Greeks, as Greek courtyard architecture predates Roman examples, not to mention; most Romans lived in apartments.
I'd do something with the courtyard as well. I like the idea of something beautiful being hidden away in a seemingly unexpected place. This makes sense as commercial property in the city can be ridiculously expensive.
Sustainable architecture at its finest. I really like the work on the skylights, matching them with slits in the walls to let light flow more freely. Good job Brian and David!
Anders Nilsson agree!
It doesn't look all that sustainable with just an uninsulated bare metal roof. In addition none of the external walls have any insulation and I doubt they put any over the slab. I expect their heating bills in the winter and air conditioning bills in the summer are ridiculous.
The lack of insulation wouldn't pass building regulations in Europe. Ironically I think it's actually a case of "Form over Function", where they wanted to keep the industrial-chic look of the trellis steelwork but didn't consider the ongoing environmental costs.
Apart from that I really like it.
Jon Creighton hmm yeah
I'm sorry if I formulated myself unclearly, my comment was to be divided into two opinions with no correlation to each other. The architecture is sustainable in which they refurbish an old building. The bare metal roof was to me just unconditional beauty. But you have a fair point.
that's really nice, I love courtyard homes especially ones that you wouldn't know that they are there
This guy and the Japanese architect are among The most well spoken, poetic, creative, artistic and visionary people.
This place is near my and bike pass it on my way to work. Funny enough I had a wanted to buy a garage and turn into a studio. Congrats on the great work man.
Must be an inspiring workplace for sure. We love to discover new workspaces on a daily bases and especially the old robust buildings has our preference.
Thank you for this video Kirsten!
It's a very interesting re-purposing of an industrial site. I hope they cleaned/sealed the old surfaces against contaminants, and I agree with others that the courtyard, while clever, could use more work. The concept of closing off the walls from the world and bringing the light in from above is really, really clever.
Thank you Kirsten!! Such a cool space!!
Very inspiring. You guys came up with a lot of interesting solutions. We are doing a similar project and I'm super excited!
I would live here in a heart beat...wonderfully done.
Articulate and inspiring. Great presentation and meaningful rescue.
Post industrialism architecture always gives me such a creative vibe. Beauty in grimness contrast so well.
Reinis Miks me too!
Me too!
Yeah it is like I get possessed by the creative spirit that went into building such structures.
What an excellent idea! Only hope that I can own a small part of the city I love someday soon!
I would have put glass blocks in some of the original window opening to let in more natural light. I also wouldn't have sacrificed my living space for the office use but taken more the open courtyard for the office. I also would have incorporated solar energy and a rain barrel into the design so this secret live/work space could be almost completely off grid and a perfect place to hide out during the zombie apocalypse.
Happy Mothers Day and thank you for the great vids!
An industrial beauty! Good job!
Very cool and great to hear the process of it"s design and process, Cheers Simon
Enjoyed that immensely. I love that guys mind set and he has so much creative wisdom.
It takes some financial resources to do it as well as they did, but there are tens of thousands of these old commercial spaces all over the country. To see THAT and imagine this is amazing.
How could someone live and work with that noise being the trains and highway. It would drive me crazy. I don't understand his thinking but hey he is happy. This is much more of a work space than a living space.
This place is a beautiful piece of artwork ❤️👍🏻
Great place. I commend his hard work and initiative.
Wonderful! So inspired!
young people aren't the only people that see Beauty in things that others don't
Yeah, maybe try that line on Gramma Moses. Or Georgia O’keef. Or Frank Lloyd Wright who designed the honeycomb museum at 92. Oops.
Awesome urban space. Agreed on the saving resources and creating opportunity
amazing job
Excellent video Doc. 8-)
Excellent! I love this.
Beautiful!
Great perspective
Another fav!
VERY UNIQUE. PROJECT WELL DONE.
Love the way he thinks.
What a great space.
as an artist . this concept speaks to me
If I were deaf, I'd love to live there, but that noise. Wow.
J.T. Seusoff lol
When you live there for a while you get to where you miss it when you leave it. Just becomes part of the background noise.
J.T. Seusoff
It could just be the mic picks up the background noise so well. That always happens to me when I try to video outside. At the time it doesn't seem that bad.. but watching the video it's like super loud lol.
Trust me, I live 5km away from an airport. You never get used to...
Very cool. It makes for lots of good ideas.
This is remarkable.
I like it alot... Great Video
Brilliant!
Fantastic.
my complaints outstanding and terrific. Yes I like it.
great work and intentions , lòve it !
Atlanta!! My hometown!
Love it! I would have kept some of the garage aspect tho. just because I love cars.
Great reimagining of a building in decline. But man, that noise...
that outside wall needs a street mural. great place!
Amazing!!!!!!
Exactly what dreams are made of.
Nice project) very unusual and look well
amazing and genius!!!!!!
I Love it!
Awesome!
Excellent
This is great
I like the juxtaposition between the Industrial decay and the refined repurposing they've achieved here. I'd love to do a similar thing. I've seen a variety of industrial buildings, like abandoned gas stations(environmental nightmare I know-but the structure!!!) that could make really interesting spaces if one could deal with the health-related material issues.
Kudos and congratulations!
I'd put a 40 foot shipping container on the steel beams for a small apartment.
Michael Self
That’s a good idea! Great thought!
"You cant always tear down and build new. It's an abuse of our resources."
I know exactly where that is, i was at the warehouse nextdoor filming recently! Always wondered what was inside there
Blending the old with the new can look amazing if done well. The courtyard and car park area shows up too much of the old dilapidated building and looks terrible, and that noise, my god.
Oh and Happy Mothers Day!
so cool
love it
the only thing missing is Me Living In It. It's fabulous.
That outside area could rock.
this would make an amazing home for someone into cars all that space jesus
nice!
I like it
Looks cool! I love this rugged industrial style.
But $40k + $70k + lots of labour? Did I get that right? Sounds vastly expensive? Or what is the square footage?
Haha could be :D
Might also be very central location and bigger than it seemed.
Atlanta is hell...
Kirsten I appreciate your video s.Can you please show us passive house off the grid .Self sustainable development.Thank you.
I love the place, but they're failing in the use of that courtyard area. I'd live there for sure.
Really nice place just a little too noisy for me
This space gave me a chubb
Looking for something like this on a smaller scale !
Looks perfect for the zombie apocalypse
Forget about the building cost.... HONESTLY HOW MUCH IS THE TOTAL RENOVATION COST?
Beautiful execution but seriously the noise? Not healthy.
86,602 People know your business now! As of 8-13-18
as the company grows, they should cover up the roof of the courtyard.
Soooo noisy.
Has anyone mentioned the Noise???
What was the ballpark price of the building. Not the renovation cost, just the cost of buying the property.
$40.000 buying price, $70.000 reno. labor partially not included I think (afterwork and weekend work they did themselves + professionals doing important stuff like plumbing, framing, sheeting etc.)
young people are not the only people with vision . If anything older people typically have the finances to match the ideas. I am in my mid 50's and You don't look much younger . I wouldn't waste my time or energy on a project such as that.
Where can we buy screens with a metal coating that will reflect UV?
Yes what they did is interesting, but not mentioned is that using a business space for a residence is not allowed by Atlanta ordinances.
Just a FYI for anyone wanting to do something similar. Yes you can get away with it (and have done so myself when doing renovations in the city for other people), but if caught and cited cited will be liable for fines out the wahzoo. (as they used to say)
:-)
what a loud area
I like the interior, but the location is not ideal.
I would have a video door bell.
boss build