Portland’s historic Grand Stable and Carriage Building, built in 1885, houses Fiori Industrial Design’s 7,400 S.F. home. The design challenge was to insert a youthful and energetic industrial design firm into this historically significant stable and to express the importance of construction and detailing in design. The solution leaves the volumes of space defined by the original building and inserts translucent forms to define programmatic needs. Independence from the static forms of the building is enhanced through angled floor patterns throughout the office and relates to the elevator lobby’s angled wall. The mix of old and new create simple dynamic spaces that contrast old and new construction methods, light and dark, static and active forms and draw visitors through the space. Reception, also a gallery space, is deliberately darker than the remaining office, creating drama for visitors. Freestanding offices are inserted into the former stables playing with scale and volumes of existing space. New walls express their construction and the changing quality of daylight makes them active components within the space. The sliding “barn” doors, abstractly relate to the building’s history, provide a punch of colour.

Awards:
IIDA Citation Award, October 2005
Northwest Design Awards, Second Place, Commercial Category, October 2006