Mark Gunderson Designed Building

Bishop Arts Photography Studio

The project remodels and expands an existing photography studio in a 1910’s brick commercial building located in an arts district / revitalization area in Dallas. The one-story spaces have concrete floors, original pressed metal ceilings and painted wood storefront. The building consists of five linear bays with simple-span wood framing transverse across masonry bearing walls, of which the studio project is an expansion from two bays to four.

The architectural parti involves the insertion of a spare white volume – consisting of offices, conference room and kitchen – into one of the previously empty raw brick bay spaces. The existing apertures in the brick bay determine all new openings into this simple, white ‘shoebox’. Circulation is the residual space between the new box and existing walls. A new air-conditioning unit is located on the roof and metal ductwork runs linearly along the interior ‘roof’ of the white box.

The contrast between the new white box within the existing brick volume gives the owner curatorial options regarding display of his work and allows an intellectual clarity and rigor in the distinction between new and old. Light quality, both natural and artificial, is carefully considered and controlled.

The computer, archive and digital processing area inthe existing workspace is relocated into the new bay. The length of the new box is such that a reception space is created towards the street and a new layout area is created at the rear, towards a future courtyard entry from the private parking area.

The original concrete floors received a new high-strength concrete coating and clear sealer.