branch studio architects design their own office

‘the studio’ by brach studio office architects, victoria, australia

all images courtesy of branch studio architects

the brief called for a small studio space for two architects, a landscape architect and a meeting area– but the client could not be more subjective in taste. in designing their own workspace, architects brad wray and nicolas russo drew both material and spatial organization from the surrounding terrain. sited near an orchard, the form of the building was oriented to maximize views out to the landscape while still creating a sense of productive refuge. a full height door reveals an open-plan threshold space between window-facing desks and meeting areas. perhaps the most remarkable resource of the site was the plethora of old corrugated iron that has given weathered life to the skin of the studio. while originally imagined with timber cladding, the incidental find was rich with color and contained the complex relationship of memory and time that so characterizes found materials. the seamlessness of the workspace and orchard is helped by the raw, shed-like appearance of the exterior and continues well into the untreated plywood interiors. the palette of materials creates an architecture almost inextricably embedded into its context and fits the robust endeavor of creation that occurs inside its walls.

exterior view of the patinated iron cladding

image © branch studio architects

interior views of the work space

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(left): glazing and an open plan connect desk space to the landscape(right): views of the meeting areas

image © branch studio architects

entrance view

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site plan

image © branch studio architects

floor plan level 0

image © branch studio architects