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A Gainesville client seeks a campus for creative collaboration in the arts. This design carefully slips containers between large pine trees in at the wooded south end of their industrial site.

The project will be built in two phases, the larger eastern set of four units first. Then the western single unit (to be occupied by the owner).

The vertical pines contrast the horizontality of the containers. The jagged, zig-zag of the container configuration reinforces and spatializes the edge created by these natural columnar elements.  Container exteriors will be sandblasted and left to weather to achieve the natural warm orange tone of weathering steel (cor-ten). The weathered steel will be coated with clear protective coating.

The containers are stacked using knuckles as hinge points to create an unconventional arrangement of interior and exterior spaces (covered/uncovered) that fits the art studio use while making a sculptural park setting.  A new storm water basin mirrors the existing one and together with new plantings and paths will provide sites for installation art, gardens and other projects. Borrow from digging the basin is gathered and shaped into three mounds that strategically raise the ground up to provide access to the containers through landforming.

The project is a Business use (B) development, specifically artist studios. The project is proposed in two phases. Phase 1 contains 4 units; two air-conditioned studios, one unconditioned studio and a shared unit with restrooms and a lounge. Phase 2 includes one additional air-conditioned studio. The development includes a new recording studio building by another architect. The application for site plan approval was submitted August 2, 2016. Construction began May 2018.