The former factory building is repositioned as a new type of mixed use building- an intersection point for creative companies with production and manufacturing functions to interact with pioneering residents who are re-populating this former industrial area of the city

The Foundry

Vantage Properties
Berkeley, California

Dominique Price, Architect

Overview

An airy, open internal promenade-like ‘parasite’ extends horizontally and vertically to connect the emerging green belt to the internal central market hall and roof terrace, giving order to the larger warehouse conversion and creating a beacon for the neighborhood.

The architectural intervention builds upon anomalies in the existing building, reorienting the buildings main address from a busy arterial street to the rear of the property in order to support the emergent pedestrian oriented fabric of this part of the city
A former garage ramp provides a gradually sloped entry from the greenbelt into the internal public spaces
Layers of materiality and visual coding typically seen in manufacturing and industrial settings are collaged and layered until a delicate tapestry emerges
The central market hall proposes micro retail and food venues that promote tenant and other local company’s products and services, providing a diverse and definitive experience in the emerging residential neighborhood