Houston Products Lab

Elevation at Exterior Stair and Studio

Products and Information Exchange Section Diagram (left) and Building Section (right)

Boundary Object: Job Board (check-in, shipping, and receiving) located at ground floor between fabrication and set-up. Adjacent work spaces and their respective activities are organized around eight Boundary Objects. Strategically located, functionally diverse pieces of built-in furniture, the Boundary Objects accommodate activities unique to the spaces next to them, while physically linking the activities that adjacent spaces share.

While program organizes the interior space, an exterior skin organizes space from interior to exterior. The material definition of the skin in one direction sets up a flow of activity across and through the workshop interior allowing views and movement to occur while facilitating a dynamic spatial context for collaboration. The skin is a double-sided strip whose two material sufaces interchange as both interior and exterior finishes. There are locations where the exterior galvanized metal slips inside the building, and locations where the vibrant interior coating begins to slip outside. These material and programmatic slippages engage and integrate the private interior of the workshop with the surrounding urban neighborhood of the city.

Boundary Object: Reception and Display located at second floor entry between conferencing and design

Boundary Object: Rolling Work Wall (sorting, stocking, and receiving) located at ground floor between fabrication and materials yard

Back Perspective at Roll-Out Shop Wall and Materials Loft Beyond (left); Front Perspective at Entry Stair (right)