Contract - January/February 2016 - 72

INTERIORS AWARDS

Adaptive Reuse
3XN Architects

3XN Studio

By Krista Sykes
Photography by
Adam Mørk

Client
3XN Architects
Location
Copenhagen
72

After outgrowing its previous office, which was spread over three floors,
Danish architecture and design firm 3XN needed a new studio to
facilitate its team-based philosophy. "It was important that we could
bring all [of our] staff together on one level to create an environment
conducive to collaboration and sharing of knowledge," says Kim
Herforth Nielsen, 3XN's founder and principal.
The firm discovered the perfect solution in the Gunboat Sheds.
Situated along a canal in Copenhagen's Holmen neighborhood, these
landmark buildings were constructed in the 1820s to shelter Danish
gunboats. 3XN transformed a grouping of the boat sheds, most
recently compartmentalized into pharmaceutical laboratories, into an
open-plan studio that highlights the original structure of the sheds
while providing a light-filled, democratic working environment for the
firm's 80 employees.
The 20,000-square-foot 3XN studio occupies five adjoining
25-foot-by-138-foot boat-shed bays, which were originally designed
to house two gunboats each. Functioning as one level, the studio
gradually steps down toward the canal, tracing the earlier sloped floor
that had once assisted in the gunboats' aquatic launches. As a
protected landmark, the building's larch wood exterior, terracotta roof,
and pine structure could not be altered. Fortunately, "This was not
a challenge," Nielsen says, "since we loved the building as it is."
This appreciation for the boat sheds' historic architecture
translates into a sensitive renovation that transforms the original
exposed pine beams into a framework that delineates zones for
workstations, a model shop, a materials library, a canteen, and meeting
rooms. Reflecting the pitched roof, sloped ceilings rise from 10 to 20
feet above the rough pine structure, smooth bamboo floors (installed
by the previous occupant), and primarily white furnishings. Clerestory
windows and a glazed canal-side facade allow light to stream through
the studio, playing off the white walls to emphasize the overall interior
simplicity. "We adopted a 'less is more' approach to our new studio,"
Nielsen says. "Light is really the most significant 'material.'"
3XN partners sit among the staff in the open work area, located
closest to the canal with water views. The design and competition

teams work back-to-back, and they can readily pivot in their chairs
to discuss projects, an impossible task in 3XN's previous studio.
In the new office, "The open plan facilitates quick and easy
communication and allows us to see what our colleagues are working
on, to share inspiration and information," Nielsen says. The five
glass-walled meeting rooms maintain this sense of openness, ensuring
privacy while allowing light to filter into and through the space.
Similarly, 3XN's model workshop features an operable glass
wall. When closed, the glass minimizes escaping noise while preserving
a visual connection. When open, it allows the workshop to function
as a continuous part of the larger whole. "Physical models are an
integral part of our process, and we wanted to create a large model
workshop where our team can explore and build all types of models,"
Nielsen says. "We located the workshop adjacent to the competition
teams, so there can be an easy flow between the designers and the
model workshop team."
Indeed, scale models appear throughout the studio,
underscoring their importance in 3XN's practice. "[In addition to]
giving [our architectural models] pride of place in the reception area,"
Nielsen says, "we use the existing architecture to frame [the scale
model] presentation." Most notably, models perched among the pine
beams activate the interstitial spaces between the bays.
Since 3XN has been in its new headquarters, the staff has
appreciated the transformed boat sheds' spatial continuity and
day-lit interiors. And the exterior environment is equally inspiring,
Nielsen says: "We have amazing views out onto the canal, with its
'pirate' houseboats, waterfowl, and an unending parade of boats,
kayaks, and swimmers." c

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