Studio Yione, led by architect Yi Wang, has developed Fluxwork, a proposal for an office addition above the historic Columbia Building in downtown St. Louis. The project introduces a cantilevered, lightweight volume suspended above the truncated remains of the 1892 landmark, supported by three slender columns and an elevator shaft. The preserved base is reprogrammed as a public hub, containing a lobby, auditorium, and rooftop garden, while the new structure above accommodates a flexible, data-driven workplace.

Originally designed by Isaac Taylor, the Columbia Building was completed in 1892 as a nine-story Romanesque structure at 8th and Locust Streets. Named to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in North America, it reflected the optimism of St. Louis’s late-19th-century growth. Following economic decline and widespread demolitions in the mid-20th century, the building was truncated in 1976, leaving only a two-story fragment. Fluxwork seeks to reengage this architectural history while introducing a model for the future of work. The design creates a visual dialogue between the solidity of the historic base and the openness of the new cantilevered addition. The lower portion is anchored in community use, while the suspended volume houses adaptable workspaces. The lower four floors are organized for individual, focus-oriented work, while the upper three levels are designed with open layouts that encourage collaboration. Intermediate mezzanine areas adjacent to a scissor stair provide informal gathering points and circulation flexibility.

all images courtesy of Studio Yione

Historic Base Meets Floating Volume in Fluxwork Office

Material strategies followed by Studio Yione’s architectural team emphasize contrast and performance. The structure uses a hybrid steel-and-concrete system, with high-strength steel columns and a reinforced elevator shaft carrying the cantilevered floors. The exterior is clad in perforated metal panels that filter daylight and views, producing a sense of lightness. Interior finishes balance exposed structural expression with warmer elements such as wood ceilings and retractable curtains, enabling spatial adaptability between open and enclosed configurations. Landscape and environmental integration form another layer of the proposal. The rooftop garden and terraces extend workspaces into outdoor environments, contributing to thermal comfort and social interaction while reconnecting the site to nature.

Fluxwork incorporates a performance-responsive office model, using behavioral simulations and network analysis to study workplace interactions. These insights inform real-time spatial adjustments, allowing layouts to shift in response to evolving organizational structures. This approach positions the project as both a memorial to St. Louis’s architectural heritage and a prototype for adaptive workplaces. Through the juxtaposition of preserved history and experimental office design, Fluxwork proposes a new relationship between cultural memory, urban context, and the changing conditions of work.

facade pattern follows the structure, with gaps at column points to suggest the ‘ghost’ of the original building

Fluxwork Office proposes a future workplace vision by implementing a data-driven, performance-responsive model atop the century-old Columbia Building remnant

perforated metal panels vary in density, denser above and more open below, responding to solar exposure

upper floors provide open office space, with furniture layouts adapting to collaborative performance

lower floors offer private individual workstations and dedicated team areas designed for distraction-free focus

interiors balance raw structure with wood ceilings and retractable curtains

the Columbia Building was once a proud landmark of downtown St. Louis

project info:

name: Fluxwork Office – Columbia Building Addition Proposal

architect: Studio Yione
lead architect: Yi Wang
location: St. Louis, Missouri, US

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The Indonesian Consulate Building in Jeddah by Ibrahim Joharji Architects contributes to the architectural landscape of diplomatic facilities in Saudi Arabia, where design carries both functional and symbolic roles. Diplomatic buildings are not only workplaces but also representations of national identity, requiring architecture to mediate between protocol, security, and cultural expression. The project is structured around a hierarchy of use, organizing spaces for diplomats, administrators, and staff through layered circulation systems. This spatial framework embeds distinctions of function and authority into the overall plan.

Navigating multiple regulatory frameworks, the design responds to the Saudi Building Code and incorporates references to Indonesia’s architectural heritage, which spans 28 recognized styles. Elements of the Rumah Gadang roofline were reinterpreted in a contemporary form, while triangular geometries derived from the peci, an Indonesian headpiece, were integrated as motifs of dignity and structure.

Indonesian Consulate in Jeddah by Ibrahim Joharji Architects | all images courtesy of Ibrahim Joharji Architects

Architecture as a framework for diplomacy and urban presence

The facade design combines cultural influences from both Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. Parametric patterns inspired by Indonesian Batik were interwoven with Islamic geometric references, producing a layered skin that operates as both shading and cultural signifier. Material choices were evaluated for their environmental impact. Reinforced concrete provides the necessary security measures, while facade systems, finishes, and mechanical components were selected to improve energy performance and reduce the building’s carbon footprint.

The Indonesian Consulate in Jeddah, by Ibrahim Joharji Architects Studio, illustrates how diplomatic architecture functions at the intersection of culture, regulation, and sustainability. By combining symbolic references with practical performance, the building establishes a framework where architecture supports diplomatic presence while contributing to the urban and environmental context.

a diplomatic building balancing function and cultural identity

triangular geometries inspired by the peci headpiece

facade patterns draw from Indonesian Batik traditions

islamic geometric references integrated into the skin

the facade operates as both cultural and climatic mediator

project info:

name: Indonesian Consulate Building – Jeddah
architects: Ibrahim Joharji Architects | @inj_architect

lead architect: Ibrahim Nawaf Joharji

client: Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia – Jeddah

location: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

built area: ~5,800 sqm

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Pedrali is a key contributor to the evolution of the modern workspace, providing adaptable, sustainable, and ergonomically-designed furniture solutions that foster collaboration, well-being, and a sense of feeling at home in diverse global projects. The concept of a professional environment has shifted dramatically, moving past the traditional desk-and-chair setup to become a dynamic ecosystem of agile and functional hubs. designboom takes a look at several of these new settings – from Milan to Paris and beyond – that have embraced this modern philosophy with Pedrali’s versatile collections. 

Capgemini office Milan by DEGW Lombardini22+ | all images courtesy of Pedrali, image © Andrea Martiradonna

ITALIAN CRAFTSMANSHIP MEETS GLOBAL DESIGN

For over 60 years, Pedrali has combined aesthetics, tradition, and innovation to create contemporary furniture for both contract and residential spaces. The company’s versatile collections are the result of a process that merges engineering excellence with high-quality materials like metal, plastic material, wood, and upholstery, all developed and produced in Italy. Their 100% Made in Italy philosophy, coupled with synergistic collaborations with renowned designers, enables Pedrali to consistently produce award-winning collections that are adaptable, functional, and aesthetically rich, making them a perfect fit for modern workspaces.

DCB Montana office in Slovenia by BAX Studio | image © anaskobe

CRAFTING PEOPLE-CENTRIC WORK ENVIRONMENTS

A prime example of Pedrali’s furniture solutions, creating workspaces that feel like cultural hubs rather than corporate offices, is the L’Oréal headquarters in Milan, designed by DEGW – Lombardini22.  Here, the furniture helps create an environment with a strong sense of hospitality and comfort, inspired by the concept of feeling home. Flexible workstations and open spaces are furnished with elegant seating from the Nym collection by Cazzaniga Mandelli Pagliarulo, while Babila barstools by Odo Fioravanti and Héra armchairs by Patrick Jouin contribute to a warm, inviting atmosphere. This approach extends to the outdoor areas, where Tribeca chairs by Mandelli Pagliarulo and Reva Twist sofas by Patrick Jouin transform panoramic terraces into dynamic open-air lounges.

L’Oréal office – Beauty Hub in Milan by DEGW Lombardini22 | image © Andrea Martiradonna

Beyond aesthetics, Pedrali’s furniture is engineered for modern work needs, like collaboration and privacy. At the Scalapay headquarters in Milan, the Buddyhub system offers a perfect solution for acoustic comfort, creating an isolated, sound-absorbing niche for focused work or informal meetings within a larger open plan. Pedrali also extends its expertise to the outdoors, recognizing that open-air spaces are now an integral part of the office. On the terrace of La Maison Brevo in Paris, the Buddy Oasi collection by Busetti Garuti Redaelli with its movable backrest and waterproof lining creates versatile open-air workstations and social areas, while the Reva Cocoon lounge seats provide freedom of use and a striking, woven rope design for a touch of natural elegance.

Scalapay Headquarters in Milan | image © Matteo Bellomo

This focus on adaptability and modularity is also evident in projects for global tech giants. In the Sauvage TV offices in Barcelona, the modular Social seating system by Patrick Jouin and minimalist Toa tables by Robin Rizzini

are used to create flexible social and meeting areas. Similarly, at the PayPal offices in Mexico City, Ila lounge armchairs by Patrick Jouin, and Nemea chairs by Cazzaniga Mandelli Pagliarulo are paired with large Arki-Tables to facilitate collaborative moments and informal meetings. Through these diverse projects, Pedrali demonstrates a consistent ability to create dynamic, welcoming spaces that are a perfect reflection of a modern, people-centric work culture.

Sauvage TV offices in Barcelona by Vania Gaetti | image © Salva Lopez

Sauvage TV outdoor lounge | image © Salva Lopez

PayPal Offices in Mexico City by Usoarquitectura

lounge area in PayPal Office

dining area in PayPal Office

project info:

brand: Pedrali | @pedralispa

projects: L’Oréal’s Italian headquarters in Milan, La Maison Brevo headquarters in Paris, Scalapay headquarters in Milan, Sauvage TV offices in Barcelona, PayPal offices in Mexico City

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Peru-based practice Roman Bauer Arquitectos takes to Lima’s bohemian district of Barranco to design a studio, workshop, and exhibition space for photographers. The project is organized around two landscaped courtyards that frame a lofty central workspace. Visitors enter through a forecourt where cantilevered planters infuse the space with greenery before reaching the main hall. Sliding doors retract fully to create a continuous flow from the entry courtyard through the interior and into a second sunlit garden at the rear.

This main space is joined by a small kitchen and two flexible rooms that function as more private offices or even temporary bedrooms for visiting artists. Only the bathrooms and a darkroom are fully enclosed, preserving the open, adaptable character of the plan. The layout supports both focused photographic work and the possibility of public gatherings or gallery-style installations.

images © Juan Solano Ojasi

roman bauer sculpts a folding roofline

With the structure of its photographers workshop, Roman Bauer Arquitectos combines reinforced concrete block walls with a timber roof supported by large steel trusses. The roofline folds gently, descending from the second-floor office toward the rear courtyard, and is punctuated by four rectangular skylights. These overhead apertures, fitted with operable upper windows on pulley systems, fill the studio with daylight and encourage cross-ventilation. The architects note that their proportions recall the lanterns and ceiling lights of Barranco’s traditional houses.

Huayruro wood, a common wood in Peru, is used extensively across carpentry elements, including partitions, framing, furniture, and the staircase to the upper level, lending a warm tonal contrast to the cool concrete walls. Inside, walls of exposed stone are smoothly finished, while the courtyard’s walls show a textured relief that doubles as a surface for hidden lighting or climbing plants.

a studio and workshop for photographers opens in Barranco, Peru

a studio between two courtyards

Flooring throughout the first level is laid in handcrafted yellow terrazzo tiles that extend into the rear garden. There, a planter of concrete slats surrounds a ceibo tree, creating the atmosphere of an outdoor room. The success of the interiors lies in the contrast between the austere stone walls at eye-level and the complex, warm-toned structure which caps the space and draws the eye upward.

The project comes to life with its spatial sequencing, ambient sunlight, and a palette of expressive materials. Through its courtyards and finely tuned roof structure, Roman Bauer Arquitectos has created a workspace that is at once adaptable and quietly expressive, bringing a versatile setting for creative production as well as exhibitions. In this way, it serves the needs of both local and visiting photographers, and respects the artistic character of historic Barranco.

Roman Bauer Arquitectos designed the flexible studio and exhibition space

the plan centers on two courtyards that connect through sliding doors

huayruro wood warms the roof, stair, and built-in furniture

a central workspace extends between the front and rear gardens

reinforced concrete block walls lend structure and subtle texture

four skylights with pulley windows bring daylight and cross ventilation

project info:

name: Studio-Workshop for Photographers

architect: Roman Bauer Arquitectos | @romanbauer_arquitectos

location: Barranco, Peru

area: 189 square meters (2,035 square feet)

completion: 2025

photography: © Juan Solano Ojasi | @juansolanoojasi

lead architects: Jose Bauer, Augusto Román

design team: Alexandra Larrea, Ailed Tejada, Lilian Wong, Karen Galarza
structural consultant: Jorge Avandaño

wood structure consultant: Luis Takahashi
electrical consultant: Cesar Pacheco
MEP consultant: Julio Gamboa

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Expanding his ongoing documentation of architecture studios across the world, photographer Marc Goodwin / Archmospheres has now turned his lens to Belgium. This latest chapter follows his series in Japan and Porto, once again offering a glimpse into the daily environments where architecture is conceived and tested. The project emerges in collaboration with local architects, with Goodwin capturing the interiors and atmospheres that define how Belgian practices organize themselves. From Antwerp to Brussels and Ghent, the photography series reveals how architects shape their studios much like their buildings.

BINST architects

BINST ARCHITECTS is based in Antwerp’s Luikstraat, occupying a 1,056-square-meter space since 2018. The building has had many lives — from a colonial rubber storage facility to a discotheque — before becoming the studio’s new home. With sixty people, the firm emphasizes natural light, tactile materials, and openness balanced with intimacy.

BINST Architects | all images © Marc Goodwin / Archmospheres

BRUNO SPAAS ARCHITECTUUR

In Antwerp, Bruno Spaas Architectuur occupies a 210-square-meter space that once housed a stamp workshop. Since 2019, the small team of one to three has cultivated a calm and connected environment, filled with objects, samples, and books that encourage experimentation.

Bruno Spaas Architectuur

B-architecten

In Antwerp, Goodwin visits B-architecten, a practice of sixty people in a studio spanning 1,200 square meters. The team occupies two historic spaces: Anyplace, once a diamond cutting factory, and B-cinema, the first building in Antwerp specifically built as a cinema in 1913. Since moving into B-cinema in 2024, the firm has emphasized an office culture that inspires creativity and reflects its design-driven identity.

B-architecten

Brut architecture and urban design

From a penthouse in Brussels, Brut architecture and urban design works across 320 square meters with views over the city. Originally built in 1956 and later renovated by OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen, the space offers openness, light, and raw materiality softened by plants. The fourteen-person studio emphasizes shared meals and the balance between collective work and smaller meeting spaces.

Brut architecture and urban design

Contekst

Antwerp’s CONTEKST moved into its 210-square-meter office in 2023, a former notary office from 1906 designed by R. Styfhals. With a team of seven, the practice prioritizes variety and a human-centered approach, shaping functions to support different ways of working.

Contekst

FELT architecture & design

In Ghent, FELT architecture & design has worked since 2014 in a former fabric depot and sewing workshop. The 120-square-meter office is part of a creative coworking space shared with aNNo architecten and MAAT ontwerpers. The team of 11 values the generous scale of the rooms, which allow for large mock-ups and collaborative experimentation.

FELT architecture & design

i.s.m.architecten

i.s.m.architecten has been based in Berchem since 2010, working in a 100-square-meter former diamond cutting workshop dating back to 1895. The seven-person team embraces informality: ‘Creativity needs chaos. A good office welcomes the mess.’

i.s.m.architecten

Studio Okami

Studio Okami, founded by Hans Vanassche and Bram Van Cauter, inhabits a 150-square-meter office in Antwerp. Once executive rental apartments for the city’s petrochemical industry, the 1971 building was designed by Paul De Meyer and Leon Stynen. Alongside the partners and their office dog, Señor Peña, the space is arranged as ‘a home office away from home,’ combining domestic comfort with workplace focus.

Studio Okami

ouest

In Brussels, OUEST has occupied a 240-square-meter office since 2021. The ten-person practice describes the space not as a traditional office, but as an atelier — a collective project where the group can feel its identity through shared atmosphere and activity.

Ouest

OYO Architects

Located in a renovated 1963 lock keeper’s building in Ghent, OYO Architects brings together twenty-eight people in 1,350 square meters. The space, designed by E. Buyse and reworked in 2022, reflects the firm’s belief that an office should evolve with its people — encouraging spontaneous encounters, communication, and creative growth.

OYO Architects

polo.platform Antwerp

At Tavernierkaai, Antwerp, POLO.platform has been housed since 1996 in a 1963 office building originally used by shipping companies. The 1,230-square-meter workspace, designed by Raymond Goovaerts, accommodates sixty-three of the firm’s eighty-three staff. Open culture is central: cross-disciplinary encounters happen through shared lunches, project discussions, and spontaneous exchange.

POLO.platform Antwerp

polo.platform brussels

The Brussels branch of POLO.platform has been located since 2016 in the historic Koninlijk Pakhuis, designed in 1906 by Ernest Van Humbeeck. The 470-square-meter space once functioned as storage and later as a venue for cultural events. Today, it continues the studio’s philosophy of encouraging mixing and communication across disciplines.

POLO.platform, Brussels

theo de meyer

In Ghent, Stand Van Zaken, led by Theo De meyer, works from a 1,000-square-meter former horticulture site. The practice, which flexes between three and five collaborators, has been based here since 2019. They describe their workplace simply: ‘a generous office.’

Stand Van Zaken (Theo De Meyer)

Robbrecht en Daem Architecten

Robbrecht en Daem Architecten established its Ghent studio in 2007 on a former wood storage site rebuilt between 2005 and 2007. The forty-person office spans 1,320 square meters indoors with an additional 2,000 square meters outside, designed by the architects themselves.

Robbrecht en Daem Architecten

project info:

photographer: Marc Goodwin / Archmospheres | @archmospheres

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Architecture firms Air Matters and 16 ARCH STUDIO present Solar Locus, the new corporate headquarters of a solar energy company in Taiwan, conceived as a ‘container of light.’ Taking illumination as both symbol and medium, the five-story cube aspires to more than workplace functionality: it embodies the company’s ethos of reconnecting humanity with nature. Behind its monumental concrete shell, a delicate glass volume emerges, balancing solidity with transparency while capturing the fleeting interplay of light and shadow throughout the day.

a mass responding to its context | all images courtesy of Air Matters and 16 ARCH STUDIO

Air Matters + 16 ARCH STUDIO’s approach to light

For the architects, light forms the essence of the Solar Locus project. Air Matters and 16 ARCH STUDIO develop the headquarters as a spatial vessel where illumination becomes a perceptual experience. The hermetic concrete shell, punctuated by circular apertures, diffuses sunlight into soft, fragmented beams that animate the interiors. As daylight shifts across surfaces, the building quietly registers the passage of time, encouraging occupants to reawaken to natural rhythms and cycles.

Curving motifs across the facade of the headquarters echo the celestial movement of the sun, from sunrise to sunset, while arched openings at ground level provide access to the plaza and side garden. These gestures introduce permeability and openness, contrasting with the solidity of the concrete mass. Between the heavy outer shell and the lighter glass volume lies a transitional atrium space, where air and light circulate freely, framing the sky as a vertical axis of orientation.

a monument in the city

A workspace That Connects People, City, and Nature

Though monumental in form, Solar Locus emphasizes connection with its environment. The arched ground-floor passages encourage social interaction, extending the corporate headquarters into the public realm. Higher up, openings are oriented toward the city, linking the rooftop garden to the broader urban fabric. Air Matters and 16 ARCH STUDIO’s design cultivates inward reflection and outward engagement, positioning the headquarters as a shared urban landmark.

Balancing mass and void, transparency and solidity, the Solar Locus headquarters distills architecture to its structural and material essence. Its interplay of light transforms daily movements into moments of perceptual engagement, inviting a deeper awareness of time, space, and nature. 

human scale in the monolithic mass

the atrium and the curving opening

the rhythm of light

curving motifs across the facade echo the celestial movement of the sun

the headquarters rises as a monumental cube

in dialogue with the urban fabric

arched openings at ground level provide access to the plaza and side garden

the openness between spaces

sunlight filters through the glass, casting shadow within the reception area

balancing solidity with transparency

workstation within the verticality of space

interplay of light and shadow

project info:

name: Solar Locus
architect: Air Matters | @airmatters + 16 ARCH STUDIO

location: Taiwan

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: myrto katsikopoulou | designboom

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Requiem of Ruins, also called the Material Lab, is a design space in India developed by Multitude of Sins. Built almost entirely from discarded and rejected materials, the project explores waste, obsolescence, and the value of imperfection in contemporary design.

The lab occupies a converted apartment and uses 95% salvaged materials, including chipped tiles, warped wood, broken prototypes, and obsolete fragments. These remnants form its structure, cladding, and interior details, transforming overlooked byproducts into a functioning workspace and experimental art gallery. The project emerged after two years of collecting leftover materials from the studio’s past projects. Before construction, every piece was logged and catalogued, creating an archive that informed the design process.

finished in a subdued wash, the door postures as an emblem of restraint | all images by Ishita Sitwala

Multitude of Sins uses Discarded samples as main design material

The space was realized by Multitude of Sins Studio in collaboration with local artisans, with no standardized manual or prefabricated system. Instead, each component was reinterpreted according to its material properties and potential for reuse. This adaptive approach turned constraints into opportunities, enabling the lab to operate simultaneously as a workspace, a material archive, and a platform for rethinking resource use in design.

Inside, architectural fragments and offcuts are integrated into doors, furniture, shelving, lighting, and wall treatments. Each element carries traces of previous projects, creating a layered environment where discarded components acquire new function and meaning. Rather than erasing imperfections, the design incorporates them, positioning failure and error as productive parts of the creative process. The Material Lab stands as both a functional studio and an evolving exhibition. It reframes construction waste not as residue but as raw material for design, offering an alternative model for sustainability rooted in experimentation, memory, and reinvention.

neon letters declare LAB in an atmosphere of alchemy

ceilings twist with serpentine conduits and glowing bulbs

Material Lab is a living archive of errors, memories, and reinvention

95% of the space is made from leftovers and rejects

the staircase layers rescued tiles, wallpapers, and fabrics, giving each fragment a second chance

wall samples and painted skins line the walls, turning remnants into an evolving material library

salvaged fragments and prototypes form a war room of surfaces where samples hang, tilt, and shift

the pegboard wall, salvaged from an old staircase railing, now curates over 300 metal samples

a six-seater table, once a dining table, is now repurposed as the scene of negotiation and narrative

two years of collecting waste turned into a design blueprint

bare plywood slices meet shards of MDF, solid wood fragments, and angled metal rods in a joyful collision

the passage, like no other ordinary corridor, gathers material ghosts and architectural misfits in harmony

repurposed materials shape furniture, walls, and lighting

project info:

name: Requiem of Ruins
architect: Multitude of Sins | @multitudeofsins

lead architect: Smita Thomas

location: Karnataka, India

photographer: Ishita Sitwala | @ishifishy

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

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Studio Vincent Eschalier completes the renovation of a 17th-century building near the Grand Rex in Paris to serve as the new headquarters for consulting firm SIA Partners. The renovation spans 3,000 square meters across five floors and a basement. On the street side, the original facades are restored to align with the character of the Grands Boulevards, while the commercial ground floor was redefined with new dark granite cladding. Inside, the layout was opened up to create flexible work environments. Exposed technical elements on the ceiling are painted white to reduce visual contrast, and many walls are deliberately left unfinished, revealing texture and construction traces.

all images by J.P. Vaillancourt

A Layered Restoration with Contemporary Elegance

Originally a private home, the structure had been modified repeatedly over the centuries, resulting in a mix of added wings, altered floor heights, and glass canopy insertions. These accumulated changes left the building in a fragmented state, but still with architectural elements worth preserving. The Paris-based architects approached the project by working with these layers, reorganizing the interior, and restoring historic features while introducing a more unified spatial and material logic.

Furnishings, coordinated by MVE-Collection, include light wood desks with linen rubber surfaces that are paired with selections from independent and established design studios. These include pieces by Axel Chay, Margaux Keller, Duplex Studio, and manufacturers such as Silvera and Petite Friture. In contrast to the raw surfaces, built-in cabinets and plants throughout the space introduce softer tones and a more domestic atmosphere.

Several distinct materials define different parts of the building, with terracotta tiles lining the restrooms, circulation zones marked by mineral finishes, and the central atrium paved in irregular opus incertum stone. This atrium, once a formal courtyard, is now enclosed with a glass roof and functions as a central gathering space. The rooftop of the rear structure, previously underutilized, has been converted into a planted terrace accessible to staff.

Studio Vincent Eschalier completes the renovation of a 17th-century building near the Grand Rex in Paris

the new headquarters for consulting firm SIA Partners

many walls are deliberately left unfinished

revealing texture and construction traces

exposed technical elements on the ceiling are painted white to reduce visual contrast

accumulated changes left the building in a fragmented state

the commercial ground floor was redefined with new dark granite cladding

light wood desks with linen rubber surfaces are paired with selections from design studios

the renovation spans 3,000 square meters across five floors and a basement

project info:

name: SIA Partners Headquarters
architect: Studio Vincent Eschalier | @studiovincenteschalier

location: Paris, France

area: 3,000 square meters

design team: Caroline Puleo, Elisabeth Duboys Fresney, Mattéo Lécuru, Lili Mangin

client: SIA Partners | @lifeatsia

photographer: J.P. Vaillancourt | @jpvaillancourtimages

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: thomai tsimpou | designboom

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A landmark opening is set to take place in Marfa, the small Texas town whose transformation into an ‘art destination’ was famously led by the legendary Donald Judd. While he is among the most important American artists of the minimalist movement, it is less commonly known that his practice extended beyond sculpture and furniture and into architecture.

Judd had moved from New York City in the 1970s to the remote town which dots the endless high desert. In the decades to follow he was busy establishing large-scale art spaces and undertaking ambitious historic preservation projects. His many endeavors include an office in the heart of town which ultimately became his working architecture studio.

The office occupies a two-story brick structure which was first built in the early twentieth century before its overhaul by Judd and his team after acquiring it in 1990. Its recent restoration follows a seven-year effort that began in 2018 and paused after a fire in 2021. Throughout it all, the design team’s approach is driven by Judd’s own principles — respect for original materials and thoughtful adaptation to context. The renovation of Donald Judd’s architecture office in Marfa has reached completion and will reopen on September 20th, 2025.

Ahead of the office’s September 20th reopening, designboom spoke with Rainer Judd, President of the Judd Foundation and Donald’s daughter, about the project’s place within his legacy and its role in the ongoing story of Marfa.

Architecture Office, Judd Foundation, Marfa, Texas | image by Matthew Millman © Judd Foundation

a restoration driven by donald judd’s design principles

The reopening of the Marfa office is led by Texas-based studio Schaum Architects along with the Judd Foundation, which sees to the preservation and revival of Donald Judd’s architectural works. Through the project, passive cooling strategies, a rooftop solar array, and sustainable insulation methods are integrated into the original structure. Its historic spirit, meanwhile, is maintained and celebrated.

Interiors become gallery spaces for the display of Judd’s plywood and metal furniture, drawings, physical models, and archival material. Visitors traveling through Marfa are invited to explore these rooms to experience the depth of Judd’s architectural practice in the spaces where it came to life.

Donald Judd in Marfa, Texas, 1993 | image © Laura Wilson, courtesy Judd Foundation

dialogue with rainer judd

designboom (DB): Can you describe the spirit of Marfa through your eyes, and through the eyes of Donald Judd? How has it has evolved since his first presence there?

Rainer Judd (RJ): Marfa has a small-town history that is the core of its spirit — generations of individuals and families have helped shaped this before Don. From its days as a military outpost to its period as a cattle town, through the de facto segregation period against Mexican American residents, through its economic up and downs, it tells the story of change in the southwest, demographically and economically. Before it was settled as a town, this region has been inhabited for thousands of years.

For Don, Marfa was a place to install his work, a place to be in and care for the land, and to think. Inadvertently, it was an opportunity to do something locally that did not go against the nature of the place. He was against Marfa becoming a cattle town museum, and an art town as well, he was against the idea of an artist colony.

Today Marfa is considered an ‘art destination,’ and it was not when Don was living there. It is our responsibility to show up to the challenges we’ve helped create. I think for the work of the Foundation it is important to consider Marfa in an everyday context, of a small town, with us being one of the many individuals contributing to the next chapter of the place’s history.

Architecture Office, Judd Foundation, Marfa, Texas | image by Matthew Millman © Judd Foundation

DB: While he is known first as an artist and designer, he famously had many built and unbuilt works of architecture. How did these different creative disciplines intersect for him?

RJ: Art and design were individual parts of a whole, but you can see how they work with architecture, they all deal with space. In his writing on all of these — art, architecture, design — he states that the need to preserve and install his work in spaces that he considered appropriate and the invention of his work, were two primary concerns that ‘joined and both tend toward architecture.’ Concerned with the space surrounding his art, this led to repurposing buildings and envisioning future ones for different purposes.

That being a given, he understood that art did not have to concern itself with function the way architecture and design do. He emphasized that architecture was not art, but that did not mean that it could not be artistic or cultural the way that many objects and structures clearly are.

His concerns with scale, materials, form, and quality were the points at which these disciplines intersected. And also dignity, which he refers to often in writing and in interviews about architecture and art. The dignity of spaces, for living and for working, he believed good buildings had that quality. And of course, the inherent dignity of art, which led to his concern with its preservation and proper installation.

Architecture Office, Judd Foundation, Marfa, Texas | image by Matthew Millman © Judd Foundation

DB: How do this building and its restoration illustrate his architectural and artistic vision?

RJ: Considering the historic and spatial context of buildings, understanding their original structure and function was important to Don. When he bought the Architecture Office, one of the first things he did was sandblast the facade, he wanted to return the building to its original condition. This action takes into consideration the town, the style, and the time in which it was built. He respected original thought, labor, and materials. He was interested in not wasting this. He understood that the building could serve other purposes and even have his ‘unusual furniture’ inside but structurally it should be returned to the context, or as he would say the ‘situation.’

This aspect of understanding historically, spatially, and culturally where one is and what can be done with the available materials and resources, can be seen in both his art and architecture practices. And it was also what guided the Foundation’s work in this restoration project. The building needed to be up to date to protect the installed collection and the integrity of its structure, to adapt to the desert climate and be energy efficient, but whatever had to be done had to consider the existing situation and how it fit into the broader history and community in Marfa.

Architecture Office, Judd Foundation, Marfa, Texas | image by Matthew Millman © Judd Foundation

DB: What discoveries were made during the team’s environmental condition studies, and what were some challenges in bringing the building back to life, especially with the harsh Marfa climate?

RJ: The building has beautiful details that were able to be maintained and preserved or rebuilt after the fire — from the archway on the second floor, to the pressed tin ceiling, to its double hung windows, to the framing of the building. Following the fire, we had the opportunity to have new conversations to the possibilities within the structure.

The building itself, built circa 1915, was structured with a lattice of wood beams across the attic ceiling so it all had to be rebuilt. This provided our talented project team with a time period to consider how to do it better, more efficiently, with the time of one hundred years to reflect upon. We installed a system which I am excited about, which reflects the ‘technologies’ humans have used for thousands of years in desert climates in which the cool night air flushes the building.

Architecture Office, Judd Foundation, Marfa, Texas | image by Matthew Millman © Judd Foundation

DB: Judd’s furniture and design pieces, especially physical models, are a huge part of the restoration. How do these elements help us better understand his legacy?

RJ: Don’s art and furniture are widely known, there is a great deal of scholarship about his art, and to some extent his furniture and writing. His architecture is perhaps lesser known and the scale of it not wholly understood. Building big and new at large scales was the norm in 1980s, and it is not that Don did not have big projects, but he understood that resources are finite and that destroying existing architecture in favor of the ‘new’ was against reason, for him even to an ethical degree.

The architectural models and plans in the space illustrate not only his range within his practice of projects he was working on but also serve as examples of one person’s understanding of architecture, of form and function, and of space and time.

second floor, Architecture Office, Judd Foundation, Marfa, Texas | image by Matthew Millman © Judd Foundation, John Chamberlain Art © Fairweather & Fairweather LTD / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

DB: With the Architecture Office now restored, how does it fit into the Judd Foundation’s long-term vision for preserving Donald’s legacy in Marfa?

RJ: The Architecture Office marks the completion of the first total building restoration project in Marfa (following the completion of the historic restoration of Spring Street in New York). In the scale of artists foundations both in the United States and abroad, we are a small team with a large mission that involves maintaining Judd’s physical spaces and art, public engagement, research, publications, exhibitions, land conservation, and gardens. The restoration was therefore monumental for us in terms of how the community, both in Marfa and beyond, came together along with the restoration project team of engineers, specialists, and craftspeople, to preserve his spaces.

Looking at the bigger picture, this is a small triumph, full of lessons in resilience and collaboration, that will guide the rest of our restoration projects.

Architecture Office, Judd Foundation, Marfa, Texas | image by Matthew Millman © Judd Foundation

project info:

name: Donald Judd Architecture Office

project architects: Schaum Architects | @schaumarchitects

commissioner: Judd Foundation | @juddfoundation

location: Marfa, Texas

previous coverage: July 2024

completion: September 20th, 2025

photography: © Laura Wilson, © Matthew Millman | @matthewmillmanphoto

design team (Schaum Architects): Troy Schaum, Rosalyne Shieh, Andrea Brennan, Ian Searcy, Tucker Douglas, Ane Gonzalez Lara, Tsvetelina Zdraveva, Ryan Botts, Anneli Rice, Zhiyi Chen, Ekin Erar (formerly SCHAUM/SHIEH)

historic masonry consulting: Alpha Masonry (Sotirios Kotoulas, Kostas Kotoulas, Antonio Guerreiro)MEP engineering: GK Engineers (Davia Gernand)historic building consulting: Higgins Quasebarth & Partners (Cas Stachelberg, Jonathan Taylor)

historic carpentry: High Desert Woodworks (Jon Antonides)

environmental, preservation, and conservation consulting: Image Permanence Institute (Kelly Krish, Christopher Cameron)

MEP engineering: KCI Technologies (Nicholas Badke)

general contractors: Method Building Company (Faith Melgaard, Kyle Melgaard, Jimmy Magliozzi), RC Concepts (Juan Martinez, Jose Martinez)

engineering: Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (Nathaniel Smith), TYLin Engineering (Pat Arnett, Jennifer Chan)
energy engineering: Transsolar KlimaEngineering (Erik Olsen)

The post interview: donald judd’s architecture office in marfa, texas set to reopen this month appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

3dor Aapees, designed by 3dor Concepts, is a mixed-use project located in Chalad, Kannur, Kerala, India. The building integrates office and residential functions within a semi-urban context, framed by a green landscape on one side and residential neighborhoods on the other. The design balances the public character of the office with the privacy required for the residence, while maintaining spatial connections between both functions.

The building follows the site’s natural slope with a linear massing strategy, minimizing disturbance to the topography. To avoid clustering and enhance spatial quality, a void was introduced into the block, creating a visual and physical link between the two floors. This also ensures daylight and ventilation reach both residential and office areas.

all images courtesy of 3dor Concepts

Layered Living and Working Spaces define 3dor Aapees

The residential level, situated on the basement floor, is organized through zoning based on privacy needs. Public spaces such as the living room are oriented toward the northwest, using their position as a buffer against the evening sun. A waterbody between the living and dining areas separates public and semi-private zones while contributing to natural cooling, ventilation, and daylight.

At ground level, the office is accessed through a veranda that acts as a transitional space between exterior and interior. Inside, the workplace emphasizes openness, with flexible layouts instead of enclosed cubicles. Meeting spaces are located above the living area, linked by an open transitional zone that overlooks the waterbody. Balconies extend from these rooms, reinforcing visual and spatial connections with the outdoors. The architectural team at 3dor Concepts designs the first floor as a dynamic, adaptable zone that supports multiple uses, from workshops and in-house presentations to informal gatherings. Its open layout and connection to a balcony allow expansion for larger group activities, while the adjoining terrace functions as both a viewing deck and an outdoor workshop space.

3dor Aapees combines workspace and residence in Chalad, Kannur

Balancing Raw Aesthetics with Contextual Sensitivity

Materiality plays a central role in the design. The office employs raw, exposed materials that establish a clear architectural character. Concrete is used consistently for walls, floors, and ceilings, with shuttering patterns left visible. Wooden detailing, created from repurposed timber, highlights openings and provides warmth. Flooring combines cement finishes with rough-textured Kota stone, while exposed metal elements serve structural and connective purposes. Together, these materials create a tactile, unembellished aesthetic.

The design also integrates regional principles into a modern framework. Large overhangs provide shade and rain protection, while pivoted doors allow for daylight and natural ventilation. Rather than replicating traditional forms, the project reinterprets local strategies through contemporary materials and construction methods. 3dor Aapees positions itself within the scale of its neighborhood, emphasizing contextual modernism and human-centered spatial design. By merging workspace and residence, the project reflects evolving patterns of urban life while supporting flexibility, openness, and environmental responsiveness.

raw concrete defines walls, floors, and ceilings with visible textures

a ‘foot’ step decorates the building’s entryway

rough Kota stone and cement finishes ground the interior palette

repurposed timber highlights openings with crafted wooden details

regional strategies are reinterpreted through modern materials and design

daylight and ventilation are enhanced through strategic massing

living areas face northwest, buffering against the evening sun

wooden louvers filter light within the open workspaces

3dor Concepts adds wooden ‘undas’ into the living area

linear massing follows the site’s natural slope with minimal disruption

project info:

name: 3dor Aapees

architects: 3dor Concepts | @3dor_concepts
design team: Ahmad Thaneem, Muhammed Jiyad, Muhammed Naseem
location: Chalad, Kannur, Kerala, India

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