401 FOSTER

Location: Durham, North Carolina Project Size: 5,500 SF

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 our studio. Selective demolition removed subdividing partitions to create a centralized open space. This open space forms the communal hub of the studio around which collaborative and supporting program elements are organized. In addition, the connected studio 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.

All photographs © Mark Herboth Photography LLC unless otherwise indicated.