Story

The DPS Central Maintenance Hub is part of an analysis into the adaptive reuse of a collection of processing and manufacturing facilities in an abandoned region of urban blight.  As the initially realized project within the complex, issues related to security were of considerable concern while attempting to present a sense of place and a catalyst for further renewal.  Exterior space was carved out of the existing shell as a useable external room and imparts a relationship toits surrounding context through its integration at the entrance.  In response to a deep manufacturing floor plate, additional skylights and a reconstitution of a high bay afforded a linear arrangement of natural light around which the interior office space is organized.

A cost analysis was developed as a part of the initial study presenting an approach of dematerialization in lieu of the original developer notion of a “whitebox”.  The process of reducing the material utilized by the elimination of column wraps, perimeter drywall,ceiling systems and carpet asserted an opportunity for a more critical set of solutions for the programmatic concerns, retains the character of the original structure, and presents an authenticity in the use of materials.

-Photography by Justin Maconochie