Steel trusses

The Compound house is an adventurous project, averting style in lieu of an exploration into light and shadow, form and texture, order and chaos, the rational and the random.  The Compound deliberately exploits the pluralistic neighbourhood character of Brighton, speaking to the client’s industrial background by exploiting a collection of infrastructural moments. An embankment batter, concrete retaining walls, triangular trusses and copper ribbons commonly found in Busbars complete a language more akin to an ‘oil refinery,’ as one neighbour described it. A comparison we weren’t entirely unhappy with. The clients specifically requested that their house harness steel not only as the primary building material, but... More

Located in the ever-evolving Green Square precinct, the Waranara Early Learning Centre provides much needed day care for young residents in the local community. The project involves the adaptive reuse of a heritage-listed outpatients building into a 74 place Early learning space. A complex brief as well as a sensitive client has resulted in a challenging project. Careful attention has been placed on the overall useability of the Centre resulting in a cohesive and robust design bridging old and new. The integrity of the existing building has been retained - breathing new life into the structure – and a contemporary wing housing the entry, playspace and wraparound verandah has been grafted onto the original shell.   This permeabl... More

The building application for the recruitment room for port workers dates from 1938; the building was commissioned on 5 February 1940. The architect was Emiel van Averbeke, the city architect who ten years earlier had built the neighbouring school ensemble. The complex consists of four interconnected hangars with saddle roofs. Here, port workers came together in large groups; the raised walkways provided overview and control. location: Eilandje, Kempisch Dok Westkaai, Antwerpyear: 2009 - 2021client: SO Antwerpen/ AG Realestate - Scholen van Morgencontractor: Strabag DBFM / Monument (cad hall 3, printing workshop)advisor - technical installations: Adviesbureau vd Weele with AACO Architecten/ Peter van Orshoven (Cad hall 3, printing worksho... More

Known as a scrappy building along a rough street in Austin, we were approached to re-imagine a former liquor store as an all day cafe + custom bicycle shop.   The building was a 1920's concrete building, completely hidden from years of ill-covered signage and awnings. Looking to capitalize upon the re-revitalization of Congress Avenue, the first move of architecture was to give the address something iconic.   Working within an existing window opening, we designed a "krinkle storefront". Like potato chips or a wrinkled shirt, the windows work to reflect light to drivers and street. As if to say, there are "good days + bad ones"...the windows reflect the sky accordingly. As a cycylist, there are good days and bad ones. One can b... More

Bates Smart’s City of Sydney competition winning design from Bates Smart is based on three innovations which are expressed in the design:   / Relocating the lifts to the exterior of the building created an open & flexible floorplate.  / Locating steel trusses on the roof of the sub-structure allowed longer spans in the structure above while creating the opportunity for the building to cantilever, increasing the floor area.  / Utilising lightweight steel frame structure & incorporating the chilled beam ducts within the structural depth created the opportunity to accommodate the load of an additional floor. Playfully the building alternates horizontal and vertical shading to create the impression of a series... More

The client was drawn to the site, the top of a bluff of an abandoned limestone quarry in West Virginia with sweeping views of the Potomac River. The house and artist studio is perched at the edge of the 100’ cliff to take full advantage of the magnificent view. In response to the client’s request that the house be “of the place”, cast concrete walls were anchored to the bedrock with caissons that extend down into fissures in the rock. Anice@Hoachlander Davis Photography The two concrete masses support Vierendeel steel trusses above that allow the living and studio space to utilize floor to ceiling windows that blur the line between inside and outside. The narrow plan affords natural cross ventilation and the el... More

Grey-Green event space for private meetups and lectures is located in a former XIX century warehouse. In 2019 the industrial area was converted into a contempo business center called “Krasnaya Strela” (the Red Arrow). Zheltikova Anastasia The building occupied by the event space is only several meters apart from not active railway line. This location gives it a special flair over it with windows overlooking a remarkable industrial view. This event space is an example of adaptive reuse of industrial heritage. Currently it is one of the anchors of the whole renewed area. One of the architectural tasks was to preserve authentic elements of the building, the other was to make sure that the new venue is convenient for both its... More

The house was designed for a young couple who requested the use of simple materials in an easily readable space, so that the family’s identity would be printed from the objects and furniture placed on the site and the routine in the new home.   From the entrance to the terrain, on a slope, it is possible to see the construction of two floors in steel structure with sealing in exposed concrete blocks as well as the large glass panels.   The thermo-acoustic roof, structured through steel trusses, reinforces the use of industrialized prefabricated materials, as well as hydraulic, lighting and energy systems, in addition to the use of cement on all floors and countertops in waterproofed concrete.   On the first floor,... More

Working in partnership with the charity Mothers Of Africa (MoA), CAUKIN Studio spent 3 months in rural Zambia constructing 4 classrooms and a teacher's office for Evergreen School. The charity MoA was set up in 2004 with the aim of improving maternal health, reducing maternal mortality and achieving access to reproductive health for all women. MoA quickly realised that by improving the education of the village children they could make a long term contribution to the charity’s overall objective. Children in Zambia are often only educated to the age of 14; with schools often oversubscribed and in poor conditions.   Evergreen classrooms had around 150 students per class, making it very difficult to effectively teach the curriculum... More

The commission involved creating a covering for the central space of the recently completed library at Monterrey Tec.  The goal was to protect the space from rain, sun, and uncontrolled winds so that it could be used year-round.  The trees on the very lush campus inspired the creation of a veil simulating leaves falling on the surface via a pattern that will be screened on the ETFE.  The falling leaves were further connected to the idea of evoking Fall and the moment when the semester begins when students are positive and excited by a new beginning.  The ultralightweight structure will create new patterns as the sun moves across the surface and, in turn, provide a sense of time passing as one studies in the library. &nb... More

The loft was created out of the atticof an Edwardian mansion block built in 1907 and located just off Regent’s Park in Central London. The original steel trusses wererestored and a new mezzanine floor created bybuilding a new dormer window and combining it with the unusedturret to get enough head height. This mezzanine became a separate bedroom suite comprising a living room, raised sleeping area and the turret was repurposed into a wet room, all accessed by a hidden staircase behind the foyer wall panelling.   The palette of materials was kept to a minimum.The wide natural oak planksconcealedintegrated underfloor heating to avoid the need for radiators cluttering the space. The loft is fully air-conditioned with the diffusers... More

Greater Goods is the transformation of an existing automotive warehouse into a modern café, coffee roastery and training facility in East Austin. With the gabled steel trusses preserved, translucent polycarbonate panels along the north wall and a skylight fill the space with natural light. Inside, the coffee bar is a sculptural island, allowing seating to surround the making of coffee and encouraging interaction between guests and baristas. A rich material palette of white washed woods, polished concrete floors and brightly colored steel accents contrast with the character of the original building to create a unique café experience. The preservation of the original building trusses in this design reminds visitors of the tran... More