Created for Brooklyn artist Barry X Ball, this studio in a Greenpoint warehouse conversion is the work of New York architect Andrew Berman. The project provides workspace for a team of 20 and is created to ‘facilitate an artist’s complex creative process and workflow’.
The space spans three floors within a restructured and renovated 20,000 sq ft warehouse; a utilitarian exterior hints at the complex’s original use. At the same time, it also includes some residential space for the artist to feel at home when long days are required.
Brick, flat and corrugated steel panels, perforated steel panels, glass, and polycarbonate sheets make for a robust structure that feels at home within its urban locale. Everything from delivery handling to storage and creative work is tackled on the generous ground floor, where a selection of studios provide appropriate space for digital imaging, photography, woodworking, hand carving, metalworking, sandblasting and exhibiting.
Meanwhile, upstairs, office, meeting and residential areas allow the artist to remain close to his work day and night, while a planted roof adds a touch of greenery to the composition and the wider neighbourhood.
The worlds of art and industrial spaces often intersect – from the Luma Foundation’s site in Arles to Chongqing’s city museum, and many more – making architectural conversions primes spaces for hosting, storing, creating and displaying creative work across the world. §