WOOD & METAL WORKER'S STUDIOS

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Designed for a sculptor and his assistants, this project integrates a set of studio art and workshop spaces in a 10 acre farmland landscape of woods and open meadows. The program calls for inter-related wood and metal working workshops, with a two ton steel gantry system for work with large scale sculptures, environmentally friendly ventilation systems for welding and wood dust collection, and adjacent studios for drawing and stone carving.

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The design uses a simple, wood frame construction with a pitched roof and exposed board and batten cladding to reference the scale and agricultural character of the site. The tectonic expression of the roof’s framing joists and beams are left exposed. The building’s massing is organized in two connected volumes of space that wrap around a working open air courtyard which northern and western light. A large skylight is located at the intersection of the building volumes to bring light in and provide views from the artist’s drawing loft out to the landscape. The roof extends over the gantry to form a generous covered exterior work porch that serves as a loading court and a place for three season outdoor art making. The design makes use of an existing concrete basement foundation to create a rich experience in section—a three story spatial landscape of interconnected artist work lofts contained within a simple, one story exterior volume.

Date: 2005
Status: Completed
Client: Private Ownership
Location: Lowell, MA
Design Team:
Frano Violich, FAIA; Managing Principal
Sheila Kennedy, FAIA; Principal Consulting on Design
Veit Kugel Dipl Ing, Senior Associate; Project Designer
Jeffrey Lee, Senan Choe
Architect: Kennedy & Violich Architecture, Ltd
Septic Consultant: Stamski & McNary Engineers
Structural Engineer: Robson & So Engineering, Inc
Photographer: Bruce Martin