Enabled by a grant from the Community Redevelopment Agency, our client invited us to help redefine a 1940s Chinatown retail building for a new generation of use for art and design galleries.  Working with two distinct clients: the owner and the agency, each having their own distinct goals and requirements, our challenge was to create a venue with only limited public access which nonetheless creates a strong sense of vibrant interaction with the street.

We started by striping the building down to its concrete shell and introducing a lighter infill of cabinetry and movable walls. The tall volume of the main gallery counterpoints intimate art-viewing areas and workspaces tucked away from public view. At the facade, layered planes of glass and steel create a visual depth from the street.  A sliding and pivoting circular gate modulates varying degrees of openness for different events with playful reference to the changing phases of the moon.