Located downtown in the historic district known as Fairlie Poplar, the Stuart Peebles Art Building provides an opportunity to bring home and career lives together. The historic building completed in 1921 was renovated to accommodate mixed uses of residential lofts, artist studios and retail. In the heart of the sprawling city of Atlanta, this project facilitates a more pedestrian way of living and participates in the revitalization of the urban fabric. Merit was seen in the idea of the 'shopkeeper' who lives above his or her shop. This allows the public and privates aspects of life to be separated but in close proximity. It facilitates the efforts of his or her trade to be accessible to the public with storefront visibility.

The overall intent of the design was to respect the previous layers of history of the spaces but affect the spaces with present time and needs. The old and new elements together tend to create an interesting dialogue with one another. This allows one to appreciate the qualities of each through comparison and contrast. The work became efforts of exposing old and adding new. The language of construction assembly itself became important. Our contribution uses readily available, inexpensive building materials in unexpected ways. These tended to be light, floating and flexible. Plaster and paint were removed from old exterior walls and a series of brightly colored freestanding walls were added. These punctuate the space in key areas of the open plan. Sliding doors made of wood, acrylic and steel give privacy at closets and bathrooms yet give a light, luminous quality. New walls and doors do not connect to the existing heavy timber ceiling structure so they appear newly inserted into the old envelope. The residential millwork, such as kitchen cabinetry, is built on wheels to slide under the metal frame that supports the countertop. Shelving and lighting throughout the space is tenuously held in place by threaded rods or cable supports. Old and new elements each contribute to the overall result. Both home and studio/retail allow one to appreciate different aspects of his or her life. Whether it is in the way spaces are used or the materials and methods of construction, here differences are complementary.

square footage: 17,000