Durham is known for an industrial urban
fabric borne out of its textile and tobacco origins. Amidst rapid growth in the
Triangle, Durham’s ethos has been to retain and repurpose the fabric of its
industrial past for an emerging creative community. The transformation of 401
Foster draws upon this mission by repurposing a 1930’s-era auto shop into the
studio for a design practice. Selective demolition removed subdividing
partitions to create a centralized open space that forms the communal hub of
the studio by which program elements are organized around. This open space celebrates
the building’s bowstring steel trusses, exposed wood ceilings, and concrete
floors. To complement, rather than compete with, the beautiful rawness of these
elements, new interventions are placed around the perimeter of the Hub space
which reflect and embrace the hands-on nature of the building’s history. Each
insertion is strategically placed and reflects the studio’s material and
fabrication explorations which combine both computer aided technology and
traditional craftsmanship techniques. Arrival, gallery and conference areas
take advantage of the now-glazed garage door openings along the street allowing for community engagement of the studio’s
design process to reinforce and cultivate Durham’s vibrancy for innovation.