PROJECT NAME:  CK Architects’ Office

PROJECT TYPE:  Major Renovation of Existing Garage into office and woodshop space.

PROJECT CONTEXT:  A 1968 two-bay detached garage was located to the rear of an 1844 federal house just off the historic Guilford Green.  The original garage was built as a utility structure and had a low roof pitch which did little to enhance the character of the property.  The renovation of the building into our office allowed us to reshape the building to better respect its context, while being playful and current in its detail.

PROJECT LOCATION: Guilford, CT

PROJECT COMPLETION:  Spring 2004

PROJECT PROGRAM:  Our aim was to renovate an existing detached garage into an office space for our growing architecture firm.  We wished to create a comfortable space for ourselves and two employees, with a woodshop space on the first level.  The design needed to respect the surrounding historic character while being expressive of our design ideals through detail and material. 

DESIGN SOLUTION:  Zoning constraints required us to work within the existing footprint of the garage, but a variance allowed us to add five feet of height to the structure.  We created an asymmetrical roof line with a lower shed roof within the side setback area.  We held the eave at one story to maintain the scale of an outbuilding, creating two large shed dormers to gain headroom and light into a second floor space.  An open porch along one side of the building draws visitors to the office entry.  Once inside, there is a display area for our work, access to a half bath, and an open stair to the studio space above.  We designed the space as an open plan with four desks, a large center work table and a conference area.  The eaves hold bookcases and additional storage.  The woodshop is on the first level with garage doors on adjacent walls allowing it to open up to both the driveway and the side yard.  A counter recess was created with a sink area for potting and gardening adjacent to the vegetable garden.

MATERIALS:  Since the forms of the building hold a strong association with the surrounding historic context, we could be more playful with the pallet of materials and details we used. We were able to salvage and reuse some of the rough sawn pine timbers and decking from the original garage.  The rafters were recut to form decorative rafter tails, and the original second floor deck and structure was exposed from below to set a loft-like, industrial mood. We used white cedar shingles for the siding, staggering the coursing to add interest.  We used metal on the roof, under the eaves, on the entry porch wall, and on the overhead doors.  The second floor pine decking was refinished, celebrating its rustic character.  We used environmentally friendly clear finished paralam structural members as accent elements for stair treads, newels and bookcases.  The galvanized metal was used on interior door push plates and rails.  We also used galvanized light gauge joists as book shelves.  The counters and work surfaces, including a custom made conference table, where shaped from medium density fiberboard into organic ergonomic forms.  Indirect lighting and ceiling fans create a healthy and comfortable workplace.  

PROJECT COST:  The project cost was approximately $45 per square foot, with labor primarily by ourselves.