I was recently assigned a studio project which is a competition to design an extension to an existing studio space. the program involves the edition of 2 new studio spaces multi level stair access, an elevator, and 50% of the mass must be made of CMU.
The question i have is what architects opinions of an ideal studio would be? What is needed in designing for the needs of an architect? What is the proper atmosphere for creativity? What is the current state of your studios? What sort of emotions do they evoke and what sort of emotions would you like a studio to evoke?
Plenty of natural light, great ventilation, great acoustics. Plenty of walls to tack onto. Comfortable seats, an area outdoors in which you can blow off steam and at the same time have privacy. And if there has to be artificial light on please please make it the best possible. Great sound system w/ a DJ booth. Awesome kitchen which feels like being at home. A living room which is actually comfortable. Plenty of flat tables tables everywhere.
Windows. Windows to look out of. Windows to stick your head out of & breath. Windows to open and close & feel like you are in control of your environment. Ventilation/heat/systems you are in control of.
A moveable system the occupants can change. Architects need to be in control of their surroundings, even if they have a small space--my 6 x 8 cube just doesn't do it for me. the only thing I can move is a file & drawer thing that rolls around. Adaptible panels that allow more or less interaction with your surrounding co-workers. Variable lighting, transparency of panels. Heck, variable colors. I happen to like the colors of our office's current 'seagreen' cubes (if not the cubes themselves) but my coworkers are itching for black or red...hmm... eye-ease green, anyone. but i digress.
my current studio evokes emotions of claustrophobia, manic depression, darkness, 'anti-creativity'...I face away from a window, have no idea what is going on outside the office, and feel very disconnected from reality (except when I check out this discussion board.)
yes - layout space for full size drawings sets, flat file and rolled drawing storage, model making area or even separate room w/ventilation if possible. Bathroom, sink, small fridge. Conference table & couch/lounge area. Lots of bookshelves for books, catalogs, etc. (heavy), shelves and/or wall storage for models, lateral files for docs & accounting. Space for printers, fax/copier etc. Stero system (preferably digital connected to a server). Natural light w/windows & views out from desk. Also overhead and task/desk lighting. Good HVAC system.
i did a school studio project that was an architects/engineers/interiors/real estate office. i had huge flat tables running through out the building which was pretty open - an old warehouse. the tables were 4' wide and several feet long - 20, 30 feet - they varied. the different areas were connected by these tables and then again defined by them. the idea was using the horizontal surfaces as the unifier and the repository of the work and ideas and the designers/employees would be working together on these huge tables that could hold anything you wanted it to. there was so much undefined surface area it was great.
I should also add though that I worked in an office with long layout tables dividing the desks, and they got covered with stuff so much that it was always a pain if you actually had to lay things out because you had to move everything. I think it would be preferable to have each desk space large enough for a layout area, and then maybe a table near the plotter and the conference table could be used as well.
Or better yet, a bank teller tube-like system that had a constant vacuum and multiple openings. That would be the ideal way to dispose of miles and miles of trace paper and suck up wood scraps.
plenty of space to throw shite around, natural light, though you have to watch for the glare, and no cubicles. a place under a desk to sleep when the occasion arises.
I knew some architecture kids in college who welded up a go-go cage in the school shop and hung it in their space. People laughed at first but it got a lot of use.
Definitely more that those chairs they made us design.
Architects usually don’t have private offices for all architects, because of lack of money. Many architects grow into the idea that open plan layouts is the way to only way to work in an architectural firm. So I suggest, go to a lawoffice, accounting firm, it doesn't really matter, all have individual offices and take a look how they do it. The nice thing of having your own office is that you can furnish it the way you want it, at least that is what lawyers, doctors, accountance, real estate agents etc do.
Or better yet, a bank teller tube-like system that had a constant vacuum and multiple openings. That would be the ideal way to dispose of miles and miles of trace paper and suck up wood scraps.
Stealing from others' replies,
Lots of work space.
Good control over climate, air quality, noise, light. (Not at the back fence of the busiest Greyhound bus depot on the continent, cough cough.) The idea of a large 'shared' space (ala Strawbeary mode - join those 40' tables, turn on the fire sprinklers, and you have water slide!) is good as long as the space is really big, to avoid one person's garbage intruding on another person's raw masterpiece.
Lots of accessible "dead" storage, possibly vaguely organized by expiration value.
Communication access to co-conspirators. Decent bathroom facilities, maybe even a shower if some workers like strenuous work breaks and prefer to not stink or feel sticky later.
A little equipment for exercise breaks would be nice, to get blood circulating. Spacing/zoning/meditation? location (a different kind of break).
A few spare straitjackets for the bosses, cattle-prods to deal with stubborn clients, vats of fresh acid for obnoxious contractors. Trap doors everywhere. And parachute/ejection/escape pods when all else fails.
I really don't think the open space layout is because of the lack of money. I think it has a bit more to do with collaboration and ideas floating around no?! don't think layers or doctors have to to collaborate that much inside the same office. When they do they just have a meeting where they discuss all ths issues. Architects have stuff to discuss all the time....
I agree w/ e - no cubicals. What the hell ever happened to offices with doors? I worked at a major Chicago international firm and was floored by the fact that the principles had to sit in little cramped cubes with no windows. Theyre running around touting the open office plan and develop a speech habit i call cube talk. A voice so soft no one can hear you because you spend your life trying to talk softly enough so others dont hear you over your cube walls. We should'nt throw out the benefits of private work areas and isolation - maybe we'd get more done. Anyone else see this phenomena of cube talk gripping the industry or is it just a general lack of balls?
I use to work in an office with long rectangular tables. Each employee had about two feet space between the employees sitting on both sides. So it looked like an internet cafe rather than an office. Private phone calls were out of the question, because everyone could listen. So I’m definitely for a private office. And if I need to collaborate with others, I’ll just pick up the phone or walk to the person's office. I don’t need to be breathing in someone else's neck in order to discuss. It has to do a bit with your upbringing in the studio. Most of us haven't done anything else than architecture so it is obvious we’ve been brainwashed to like to work in congested open offices that mostly don’t look attractive and appealing to work in. On the same token we design nice working spaces for our clients. Isn’t it ironic?
archifreak is right pete. the open plan allows for better communication in a team environment. offices and cubicles are good for hiding, napping, and fucking off.
there needs to be a good mix of personal/private space (because sometimes you just need to FOCUS dammit) and open/collaborative space. I'd suggest you look at cutting-edge lab design projects. These always seem to respect the individual researcher's need to do their own thing, but also build in break-out and interaction spaces that make exploration and collaboration possible. Scientists actually have access to grant money based on the quality (aethetics and practical) of their facilities and available resources, so efficiency as well as the "happiness quotient" both play a role.
well now lets define open office and cubicle - cubicles inhabit open floor plans and can be moved around etc. The more current open plan is more like a power spine system with work stations where the wall goes up +- 4'-0" but is accoustically treated. Problem is it doesnt really stop the sound, just muffles it enough to make it annoying. Then theres the guy named Lumberg always sneaking up on you. As a proffesional I think you can be trusted to not f-off left alone. Not the first year interns though, we need to beat them with tube steaks.
my comment about napping and fucking off was a joke. i just think an open plan without cubicles serves as a better environment for collaboration and i find that most projects require that. i have never worked in a cubicle.
yes but theyre almost always inoperable in highrises, and my fav is the Illinois Center tinted glass that makes everything nice and brownish. Gues your stuck inside, but hey - why leave - theres every fast food known to man in the concourse.
We are proposing that our new studio space has a bar for coffees during the day and bevs in the evening. A flexible work space to enable informal communication.
I would move my computer there, but in an office of 70 the eight proposed spaces may already be advance booked!
a roofless 'atrium' would be so elegant. you must include
a heliport for the boss,
but also a trampoline for interns,
and a catapult for contractors, saleperps, and bags of trash.
What is an ideal architects studio?
I was recently assigned a studio project which is a competition to design an extension to an existing studio space. the program involves the edition of 2 new studio spaces multi level stair access, an elevator, and 50% of the mass must be made of CMU.
The question i have is what architects opinions of an ideal studio would be? What is needed in designing for the needs of an architect? What is the proper atmosphere for creativity? What is the current state of your studios? What sort of emotions do they evoke and what sort of emotions would you like a studio to evoke?
Plenty of natural light, great ventilation, great acoustics. Plenty of walls to tack onto. Comfortable seats, an area outdoors in which you can blow off steam and at the same time have privacy. And if there has to be artificial light on please please make it the best possible. Great sound system w/ a DJ booth. Awesome kitchen which feels like being at home. A living room which is actually comfortable. Plenty of flat tables tables everywhere.
Windows. Windows to look out of. Windows to stick your head out of & breath. Windows to open and close & feel like you are in control of your environment. Ventilation/heat/systems you are in control of.
A moveable system the occupants can change. Architects need to be in control of their surroundings, even if they have a small space--my 6 x 8 cube just doesn't do it for me. the only thing I can move is a file & drawer thing that rolls around. Adaptible panels that allow more or less interaction with your surrounding co-workers. Variable lighting, transparency of panels. Heck, variable colors. I happen to like the colors of our office's current 'seagreen' cubes (if not the cubes themselves) but my coworkers are itching for black or red...hmm... eye-ease green, anyone. but i digress.
my current studio evokes emotions of claustrophobia, manic depression, darkness, 'anti-creativity'...I face away from a window, have no idea what is going on outside the office, and feel very disconnected from reality (except when I check out this discussion board.)
Oh, a climbing wall would be cool.
yes - layout space for full size drawings sets, flat file and rolled drawing storage, model making area or even separate room w/ventilation if possible. Bathroom, sink, small fridge. Conference table & couch/lounge area. Lots of bookshelves for books, catalogs, etc. (heavy), shelves and/or wall storage for models, lateral files for docs & accounting. Space for printers, fax/copier etc. Stero system (preferably digital connected to a server). Natural light w/windows & views out from desk. Also overhead and task/desk lighting. Good HVAC system.
i did a school studio project that was an architects/engineers/interiors/real estate office. i had huge flat tables running through out the building which was pretty open - an old warehouse. the tables were 4' wide and several feet long - 20, 30 feet - they varied. the different areas were connected by these tables and then again defined by them. the idea was using the horizontal surfaces as the unifier and the repository of the work and ideas and the designers/employees would be working together on these huge tables that could hold anything you wanted it to. there was so much undefined surface area it was great.
windows!
I should also add though that I worked in an office with long layout tables dividing the desks, and they got covered with stuff so much that it was always a pain if you actually had to lay things out because you had to move everything. I think it would be preferable to have each desk space large enough for a layout area, and then maybe a table near the plotter and the conference table could be used as well.
Lots of trash cans.
Or better yet, a bank teller tube-like system that had a constant vacuum and multiple openings. That would be the ideal way to dispose of miles and miles of trace paper and suck up wood scraps.
no cubicles please.
plenty of space to throw shite around, natural light, though you have to watch for the glare, and no cubicles. a place under a desk to sleep when the occasion arises.
mezzanine comes to mind. a sturdy one, with balance.
I knew some architecture kids in college who welded up a go-go cage in the school shop and hung it in their space. People laughed at first but it got a lot of use.
Definitely more that those chairs they made us design.
Architects usually don’t have private offices for all architects, because of lack of money. Many architects grow into the idea that open plan layouts is the way to only way to work in an architectural firm. So I suggest, go to a lawoffice, accounting firm, it doesn't really matter, all have individual offices and take a look how they do it. The nice thing of having your own office is that you can furnish it the way you want it, at least that is what lawyers, doctors, accountance, real estate agents etc do.
one of these?
![]()
Stealing from others' replies,
Lots of work space.
Good control over climate, air quality, noise, light. (Not at the back fence of the busiest Greyhound bus depot on the continent, cough cough.) The idea of a large 'shared' space (ala Strawbeary mode - join those 40' tables, turn on the fire sprinklers, and you have water slide!) is good as long as the space is really big, to avoid one person's garbage intruding on another person's raw masterpiece.
Lots of accessible "dead" storage, possibly vaguely organized by expiration value.
Communication access to co-conspirators. Decent bathroom facilities, maybe even a shower if some workers like strenuous work breaks and prefer to not stink or feel sticky later.
A little equipment for exercise breaks would be nice, to get blood circulating. Spacing/zoning/meditation? location (a different kind of break).
A few spare straitjackets for the bosses, cattle-prods to deal with stubborn clients, vats of fresh acid for obnoxious contractors. Trap doors everywhere. And parachute/ejection/escape pods when all else fails.
add some nice cubicles for people of hook up and 'take a break'
I want a couple of [these]http://www.will-harris.com/areon.gif[/these]
and a dog (cute) with white hair
oops
I really don't think the open space layout is because of the lack of money. I think it has a bit more to do with collaboration and ideas floating around no?! don't think layers or doctors have to to collaborate that much inside the same office. When they do they just have a meeting where they discuss all ths issues. Architects have stuff to discuss all the time....
I agree w/ e - no cubicals. What the hell ever happened to offices with doors? I worked at a major Chicago international firm and was floored by the fact that the principles had to sit in little cramped cubes with no windows. Theyre running around touting the open office plan and develop a speech habit i call cube talk. A voice so soft no one can hear you because you spend your life trying to talk softly enough so others dont hear you over your cube walls. We should'nt throw out the benefits of private work areas and isolation - maybe we'd get more done. Anyone else see this phenomena of cube talk gripping the industry or is it just a general lack of balls?
I use to work in an office with long rectangular tables. Each employee had about two feet space between the employees sitting on both sides. So it looked like an internet cafe rather than an office. Private phone calls were out of the question, because everyone could listen. So I’m definitely for a private office. And if I need to collaborate with others, I’ll just pick up the phone or walk to the person's office. I don’t need to be breathing in someone else's neck in order to discuss. It has to do a bit with your upbringing in the studio. Most of us haven't done anything else than architecture so it is obvious we’ve been brainwashed to like to work in congested open offices that mostly don’t look attractive and appealing to work in. On the same token we design nice working spaces for our clients. Isn’t it ironic?
archifreak is right pete. the open plan allows for better communication in a team environment. offices and cubicles are good for hiding, napping, and fucking off.
there needs to be a good mix of personal/private space (because sometimes you just need to FOCUS dammit) and open/collaborative space. I'd suggest you look at cutting-edge lab design projects. These always seem to respect the individual researcher's need to do their own thing, but also build in break-out and interaction spaces that make exploration and collaboration possible. Scientists actually have access to grant money based on the quality (aethetics and practical) of their facilities and available resources, so efficiency as well as the "happiness quotient" both play a role.
well now lets define open office and cubicle - cubicles inhabit open floor plans and can be moved around etc. The more current open plan is more like a power spine system with work stations where the wall goes up +- 4'-0" but is accoustically treated. Problem is it doesnt really stop the sound, just muffles it enough to make it annoying. Then theres the guy named Lumberg always sneaking up on you. As a proffesional I think you can be trusted to not f-off left alone. Not the first year interns though, we need to beat them with tube steaks.
my comment about napping and fucking off was a joke. i just think an open plan without cubicles serves as a better environment for collaboration and i find that most projects require that. i have never worked in a cubicle.
large windows to jump out of
yes but theyre almost always inoperable in highrises, and my fav is the Illinois Center tinted glass that makes everything nice and brownish. Gues your stuck inside, but hey - why leave - theres every fast food known to man in the concourse.
project meeting
teamwork
abra gets the best pictures
We are proposing that our new studio space has a bar for coffees during the day and bevs in the evening. A flexible work space to enable informal communication.
I would move my computer there, but in an office of 70 the eight proposed spaces may already be advance booked!
My studio just dripped a brownish disgusting liquid directly onto my desk, staining a model and drawing.
I'm presently designing our new hq (not just arch but engineers and administrators)
one of the big things I've included is a break space to replace a kitchenette - presently its just as a concept but will see how far I can take it
a roofless 'atrium' would be so elegant. you must include
a heliport for the boss,
but also a trampoline for interns,
and a catapult for contractors, saleperps, and bags of trash.
always alternates:
http://www.extremedreams.co.uk/human%20catapult/
Anyone else see this phenomena of cube talk gripping the industry or is it just a general lack of balls?
maybe more serous is the lack of tall enough cubical walls and baskets, since we see so many people taking shots as wastebaskets, with crumpled paper.
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