NORRØN STUDIO SPACE
NORRØN Architects transforms a former textile warehouse into their new ’Territory for Dreaming’ in Copenhagen.
Located in Copenhagen, NORRØNs new studio space interprets the historical layers of a former warehouse into an industrial, yet refined aesthe- tic. With the renovation of the new studio space, the firm viewed an opportunity to experiment with both the use of materials as well as questio- ning conventional office typologies by creating a workspace divided into different zones rather than separate units.
The building complex dates back to an old textile factory from around the 1850s. In recent years, the space served as an office space composed of white cubical structures, only divided by a long corridor running through the entire space. With the transformation of the space, NORRØN sought out an architectural language in which the industrial remnants of the building were emphasized, yet put into dialogue with a contemporary design expression as to tell the story of the place in a renewed way.
Raw materials and reflected light
By firstly removing existing interiors of the 350sqm space, only old iron columns remained. As a blank canvas, the floor running through the entire space was covered with a large raw steel plate. Organized around the existing columns, the raw steel plates were laid out as a pattern resembling the lines of traditional Japanese tatami floors. And rather than dividing the main office space by walls, the spatial division was made possible by adding raw, concrete blocks. By tiling the leca blocks, the lines between the blocks have come to underline the height of the space. These spatial elements function as both spatial dividers, organizing the studio into different work zones while undertaking various functions such as cabinets to shelves.
