fd2s Office Renovation    |    Austin, Texas

Built in the 1920s for the Gulf Refining Company, this warehouse was renovated for the offices and studio of fd2s, an Austin firm specializing in graphic and environmental design. As originally designed, the 10,000 square-foot brick building was divided between two floors: an appealing light-filled main level with exposed steel trusses and a partially submerged, dimly-lit lower level with low ceilings. To equalize the two levels, the renovation partially cut away the floor of the main level, opening up and introducing more light to the level below. A mezzanine level fabricated in steel was suspended from the roof trusses above this central rectilinear well, its stairs scissoring through the opening and energizing the space. The studio occupies the lower level of the open well and is surrounded by offices, library and service areas. The main entrance, reception area, conference rooms, partitioned offices and a generous kitchen are housed on the main level. In 2010, the Texas Society of Architects bought the building for their new headquarters.

• Adaptive Reuse
• Honor Award, Renovation/Restoration, Texas Society of Architects, 2002
  Honor Award, Renovation/Restoration, Houston Chapter AIA, 2002
  Merit Award, Preservation, The Heritage Society of Austin, 2001
• Feature In: Texas Architect, July/August, 2002