AMBIENCE STUDIOS
Against the industrial backdrop of Korangi sits Moyena’s ‘sliced shed’. An amalgamation of two a-similar plots seamlessly to provide office spaces for the Ambience Studio and Shiny Toy Guns, this project is a reflection of Moyena’s interpretation of Industrial and Sustainable.
From the very inception of the project the architect intended to maintain a sustainable model, recycling and upcycling many of the materials found on site. Not only that, retaining the memory of the shed that was pulled down to clear the site and using that as a spring-board for the project.
This project is about conversations. Those between the two sheds. Those between materials and industry. There is no concealment, only honesty, an unabashed exposition of the same. The I-beam structure in a status-quo concrete infill, holding up a roof re-used from the previous shed. The upcycled containers punctuating colourfully, the conversation between the big and the small, sophisticated sheds connected by a path askew.
No good conversation is complete without pauses, and it is only the best conversations in which the silence is meaningful. Each pause in a regular workday is elevated to a ritual, simply by putting it outdoors, from the boss’s standalone restroom, to the employee’s restrooms which are all accessed from the outside. Smoke breaks are also catered to in the ‘ponder spots’ tucked away neatly on in a compact court and one from where the office reads like a pavilion. The outdoor cafeteria, which also uses an upcycled container, has a large communal sitting space under a tree. Thus having provided for a variety experiences within what is otherwise, just another work-day.
The ‘sliced shed’ houses office spaces, conference rooms, and all supporting functions including sufficient parking. The outdoor space is also used for in-house events in the evening, which is made convenient by the decision to make the restrooms and cafeteria independently accessible.
As is a quality of Moyena’s work, meticulous attention has been paid to detail. From the innovative use of vacuum glass lifters as door handles to the exposed black pipe wiring conduits there is nothing which goes untouched by the industrial wind. All outdoor spaces are furnished in concrete, paved with pebbles and sheltered by trees, and subtle changes in paving mark parking slots. Sparse canopies, just where needed, to shade cars and the pedestrian path.
To our great delight this Award winning project has now grown and evolved into Karachis much loved District-19.
