Sliding mesh walls are designed to open up the compartments of this greenhouse for cactuses and large plants, which architecture studio Part Office has added to an industrial-style office building in Santa Monica.
Working with plant shop Cactus Store, the Los Angeles studio created Santa Monica Greenhouse to host the client's private specimen, large-scale cactus and succulent collection near their offices in an industrial complex.
Tinted polycarbonate panels front Santa Monica Greenhouse
The 1070-square-foot (99-square-metre) addition runs along the building facade and so is designed to leave open access points to the building. Because of this, Part Office segmented the structure into compartments with gaps left in between them.
Mesh panels flank either side of the sections to allow air to flow thought and slide open up to allow for different configurations inside. Polycarbonate offers different views inside
"These pods have two sets of operable, sliding doors on each internal facade, allowing for an endless articulation of connected or separated spaces," said Part Office.
"This also provides an expanded number of circulation opportunities as well, traversing strictly perpendicular to the office when closed up, or longitudinally along two paths when open."
From some angles, it blurs the cactuses
Panels of tinted, double-walled polycarbonate front the pods to offer either blurred views of the inside or act as opaque walls according to different circumsta...