daniel moreno flores: mike's studio and workshop

‘the workshop’ by daniel moreno flores, quito, ecuadorimage © daniel moreno floresall images courtesy of daniel moreno flores

in this two part article, we look at ecuadorian architects daniel moreno flores’ and margarita marques’ renovation of two distinct parts of a houseto incorporate a workshop (shown above) and a studio apartment. the workshop space is located on the same property as the following projectbut in an independent structure, for artist pilar flores. completed in a period of two and a half months, every piece that was removed was recycledor hidden, with extra wood beams salvaged from a nearby demolished house. a new relationship was created with the entrance garden to the house,as a large opening was installed, framed by the reclaimed timber to put the user in direct contact with the exterior. the new white space is filled withnatural light and portable furniture. as a creative area, it was designed to be re-designed, that is to say that all the individual components that fill the room may be moved around to accommodate any number of people and activities. the new foreign elements added to the interior are in someway in contact with recycled rebar, which is used as a light component that either supports, transports, or suspends the pieces, giving a feeling of floatingin the air.

the workshopimage © daniel moreno flores

wooden loft made with reclaimed pieces and rebar ladderimage © daniel moreno flores

image © daniel moreno flores

rustic connectionsimage © daniel moreno flores

new entryimage © daniel moreno flores

image © daniel moreno flores

original spaceimage © daniel moreno flores

studio spaceimage © daniel moreno flores

floor plans – workshop

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axonometric – workshop

‘mike’s studio’image © daniel moreno flores, sebastián calero

 with a budget of 30,000 dollars, the architects invited a group of friends to help renovate a house and find the architecture hidden within. their slogan was ‘clean, remove, and discover the reality of the materials,’ and can be clearly seen throughout the spaces. the first step in their exercise was to strip the house of the typical trappings that make a ‘cozy dwelling’ devoid of any true character. brick walls were left exposed, complete with imperfections and voids, the existing doors were reused as the form work for new concrete elements, while the timber flooring was stripped and used as stairs, platforms, racks and shelves. reclaimed lumber from the original residence was repurposed for loft stories, walls and flooring components that created new spaces entirely, or was split and laminated to create a unique new texture. the wall in the studio was knocked out where an exterior atrium creates a small garden that communicates with the interior. gifted rebar was bent and used as hand railing and even a ladder. the design strips away the falsity of the surfaces and exposes the raw nature beneath, redefining the archetypal understanding of the excess material to add greater moments of flavor. the spaces find beauty in their ‘unfinished’ nature, composed in a way that provides every space with a soul and still maintains quality.

wood floor made of slender slatsimage © daniel moreno flores, sebastián calero

image © daniel moreno flores, sebastián calero

view to the loft storey from the ground floorimage © daniel moreno flores, sebastián calero

(left) a mixture of new textures(right) thin catwalk connecting two the loft spacesimage © daniel moreno flores, sebastián calero

image © daniel moreno flores, sebastián calero

corrugated transparent sheets create almost-clear slihouettes image © daniel moreno flores, sebastián calero

central corridor services all areasimage © daniel moreno flores, sebastián calero

bathroomimage © daniel moreno flores, sebastián calero

living roomimage © daniel moreno flores, sebastián calero

front gateimage © daniel moreno flores, sebastián calero

front entranceimage © daniel moreno flores, sebastián calero

new range of textures and materials found throughout the houseimage © daniel moreno flores, sebastián calero

functioning staircaseimage © daniel moreno flores, sebastián calero

(left) original corridor(right) original kitchenimage © daniel moreno flores, sebastián calero

original living roomimage © daniel moreno flores, sebastián calero

original entranceimage © daniel moreno flores, sebastián calero

floor plan / level 0

floor plan / level 1

section perspective

project info:

the workshop

project: house factorylocation: la gasca, quito, ecuadorarchitect: daniel morenoteam: felipe ordonez, esteban benavides and daniel corticonstructor: fabian tenórioowner: artist pilar floressurface: 78.5  m2year: 2009budget: $ 7.000  (US dollars)

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mike’s studio

project: daniel moreno flores, margarita marquesconstruction: fabian tenorio, jaime quingacollaborators: santiago vaca, claudia ponceowner: michael blanchardcost: 30,000 USDsite area: 145.82 m2interior: 138.46 m2exterior: 134.55 m2