Reimagining the Industrial Warehouse 

INTERSTICE Architects transformed a 1930s concrete warehouse in the heart of the SOMA district in San Francisco into the new quarters for a thriving commercial photography studio. The sandblasted concrete- and wood-framed structure reveals a raw minimalist interior which elevates the haptic material qualities of the space. The existing industrial glazing is re-scripted to form layers of interior partitions that reflect the building’s original industrial simplicity. The functional program called for only naturally lit studios and photo-card-grey backgrounds, making the original windows and coarse concrete property walls an asset to the project. The building’s interiors were kept raw to allow the large studios to be stripped of the tangle of wires and pipes, leaving them bare of artificial light.

 

 

 

 

 

Into the Seismic Intrusion

To clearly distinguish from the salvaged original structure, all the new infrastructural elements were designed to contrast and complement the highlighted elegance of the no-nonsense bones of the warehouse. The new concrete shear walls were slip poured in smooth forms to offer a clear and distinct departure from the rough board formwork of the property line bearing walls, all while maintaining the matte interior finish of the space. Into this seismic intrusion, which was by necessity perpendicular to the original massive walls, was placed the new kitchen programs and code-compliant vertical circulation. New programmatic elements are sheathed in hot rolled steel plates, rendering a somber monastic aesthetic in which natural light completes the composition. Floor-to-ceiling black velour curtains separate dynamic space: their soft, diffuse volume are in stark contrast to the tectonic mass of the stainless steel which forms the programmatic core of the project.

 

 

 

 

 

Apertures 

Each element of the original structure was examined by INTERSTICE in a pragmatic way in order to reveal its potential to enhance the functional performance of the studio. The original windows were largely intact, glazed with the original wired bubble glass which produced a perfect diffuse light. These were individually inventoried, removed, and replaced in the original refurbished frames. Broken glass was replaced with salvaged materials from similar buildings to keep the cohesion between these elements intact.

 

 

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