Enlarged windows and felt-covered walls are among the elements in a 1960s office building refurbished by Texas firm Clayton Korte, which occupies part of the structure.
The project, called Design Office, is located just north of downtown Austin, along one of the city's main thoroughfares. It houses two studios ? one for Clayton Korte, formerly Clayton & Little, and the other for Word + Carr Design Group, a landscape architecture firm.
Clayton Korte refurbished the 1960s office building in Austin
The project entailed overhauling a steel-framed, brick-infill structure that was constructed in 1963 as a speculative office building. When Clayton Korte obtained it, the building had dreary, dark offices and needed a lot of work ? but the firm wasn't put off. "We jumped at the chance to acquire it, recognizing the untapped potential of the raw spaces," said the team.
The building houses two studios
Encompassing 9,648 square feet (896 square metres), the two-storey building is set into a hillside. From front to back, the property slopes the equivalent of one floor.
Over the years, the soil had become unsteady, requiring the team to focus on stabilizing the structure first. A total of 65 structural piers were drilled to prevent the building from sliding toward a creek across the street.
The studio introduced new spaces into the interior
After the stabilization work was complete, the team turned its attention to the building's interior.
"The interior was gutted, ...