BUILDINGS AS PEOPLE

Project: Shape Tomorrow

Location: Berlin, Germany

Firm: HWKN, New York, U.S.

Team: Matthias Hollwich with Dorin Baul, Jessica Knobloch, Robert May and Olga Snowden

Photo: Marco van Oel

“Honey, I shrunk the architecture.” For its wonderfully whimsical exhibition at Berlin’s Aedes Architecture Forum, New York design firm HWKN presented a metropolis in miniature, using nine five-metre-high towers to depict a range of different building typologies. Several of these bore passing resemblance to past HWKN projects, such as New York’s 25 Kent and Munich’s Die Macherei.

Each of the downsized buildings was given a human name that spoke to its inherent identity: Blake was an outgoing skyscraper with an inviting public market at its base, while Skyler was a nurturing residential tower designed to support multiple generations. Intriguing glows emanating from deep within each tower accented the playfully futuristic, crisp white exhibition design. A mirror-clad wall reflected the room’s clean three-by-three grid arrangement to create an even more expansive skyline.

Upon entry, visitors were invited to choose a character from a selection of toys and imagine how it might move through daily life in the spaces depicted, all the while posing the figure for social media. Speech-bubble sticky notes also prompted people to post their reflections to the gallery’s walls, creating a rich architectural dialogue.

In this way, the designers inspired Berliners to think about their own interactions with the city’s buildings — seeing them not just as something to look at but as something to engage with on a more personal level. By showcasing the strong possibilities of inviting, open public realms, the installation also highlighted the importance of developing skyscrapers that are more than just insular monoliths. Moving through the city, we spend a lot of time looking at architecture as a sculptural form. But what about the inner lives of the landmarks we dart past? Fusing storybook wonder with civic engagement, HWKN successfully turned the urban realm into its own main character.

“Shape Tomorrow conveys a difficult thing for most people to understand about occupant empathy and abstract concepts like space and building types. It’s a great piece that’s interactive on a number of levels.” — Primo Orpilla

When it came to repurposing a 1,180square-metre building in Brooklyn’s Gowanus Canal district to create The Mercury Store, a performing arts theatre and rehearsal space, CO Adaptive Architecture had some tough acts to follow. The heavy-industrial site originally served as a metal foundry before being converted into a warehouse and, more recently, a series of art studios and offices.

The design firm’s ovation-worthy strategy was to place the 1902 building’s original character front and centre — albeit with a few significant updates. The end result is akin to a contemporary revival of a classic production, preserving the original structure’s soul yet also making a renewed case for its enduring relevance.

Signature elements like the building’s masonry shell and double A-frame roof trusses remain in place, but they are now joined by cross-laminated timber floor panels and glulam beams and columns. (In a notable milestone, this project represents New York City’s first application of mass timber in an adaptive re-use building.) Outside, new aluminum cladding ties the arts venue in with the area’s industrial identity.

Another big move involved reconfiguring the building’s layout from a highly compartmentalized interior into an expansive environment. By removing half of the ground floor, the designers sank the main performance space below grade, creating an especially dramatic double-height area. For added flexibility, floor-to-ceiling accordion doors allow for the division of this bright zone into two acoustically sealed rooms. And, at the back of this lower level, generous staircase seating introduces a casual social hub while also creating a link to the upstairs breakout rooms.

Making a flawless transition from turn-of-the-century industrial facility to modern-day cultural venue, this building deserves an award for its incredible range — and CO Adaptive Architecture deserves full credit for its expert direction.

Project: The Mercury Store – Timber Adaptive Reuse Theater

Location: Brooklyn, U.S.

Firm: CO Adaptive Architecture, Brooklyn, U.S.

Team: Robert Johnston and Ruth Mandl with

Leon Frazier and Sam Bowstead (CO Adaptive Architecture); Brian Barkovitz, Alex Schwartz and Jason Driggs (ABS Engineering); Nathanial Bergan (A Degree of Freedom Structural Engineers); Bruno Cardenas (Charcoal Blue); JP Bedell (SDA Lighting); Jenny Uchida (Two Twelve); Arthur Pearsall (Yorke Construction)

Photo: Naho Kubota

“This project exercises great restraint and is a wonderful celebration of the pre-existing spaces and exterior form.” — Drew Sinclair