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Architects: Sebastian Quinn Building Workshop
- Area: 3000 ft²
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Photographs:Francois Dischinger
Tovin Studios, a sustainable design office, workshop, and gallery located at 70 South Franklin Street in Nyack, NY, will officially open in April, 2012.Designed by architect Sebastian Quinn, Tovin Studios is the new headquarters for Tovin Design, an independent design and consulting firm specializing in home furnishings.
Conceived as an intervention, Tovin Studios recycles the shell of a former warehouse, which was carved with large openings in the roof and wallsto fill the spacewith natural light. Theexterior is clad in weathering steel, referencing the site’s industrial past and the grittiness of the surrounding neighborhood, while introducing a fresh, inviting aesthetic.
When Blake Tovin, the owner and principal of Tovin Design was looking for a new space for his studio, the storefront at 70 South Franklin was not an obvious choice. While the banal 3000 sq. ft. cinderblock box lacked any daylight, it did offer plentiful space. Blakerequired a gallery, design office, and workshop for prototyping furniture. Blake consulted with architect Sebastian Quinn, who proposed a rough industrial aesthetic, to stretch the construction budget. The renovation, including all new systems, roof, and landscape was achieved for a modest $100/sq. ft.
Sebastian employed a series of sustainable strategies to reduce the buildings resource consumption and improve the user experience. Large window penetrations in the walls and roof allow Blake and his staff to work in diffused daylight- typically without any artificial light. The light monitors on the roof face south and employ operable translucent insulation,to act as direct gain solar heaters-provide a third of the building’s heat, and power a thermal stack summer ventilation system.