Project Winner

A 19th-century timber-and-masonry warehouse was renovated to create a new, 37,000-square-foot home for the Bensimon Byrne advertising agency and its 140 employees.

The firm has gradually grown into a prominent international player since its inception as a 15-person company in a small downtown loft. In a bid to relive some of that old-time spirit, the design brief called for making the large, multi-level building feel intimate and cohesive rather than large and corporate.

The focal point is the large stepped assembly area within the three-storey space; it hosts weekly town hall meetings. From there, a stair made from salvaged timber and perforated steel leads to the newly created “pitch” room. Large areas of the existing floor space were carved away to create a sequence of double-height spaces and interconnected levels. Two new, large-scaled, open stairs within these openings lead to a perforated metal bridge that offers a dramatic formal entry sequence for clients and guests.

A glass-enclosed core space for offices and meeting rooms incorporates cabling and ductwork in its ceilings and adjacent perforated metal bulkheads. Open, custom workstations, clad in walnut veneer and white spray lacquer, occupy the perimeter of the floor, giving all employees access to natural light and views. These new interventions counterpoint the shell with its raw masonry and sandblasted timber.

Bullock: That big stair reminds me of Rem Koolhaas’s Prada boutique in SoHo.
Niven: The stair does double duty as an amphitheatre.
Robbie: The metal at the stair bottom has guts to it.