Mapos Blog | The FUTURE: Working Precedents

Evan Smith and Justin Ware
Mapos Designers

This post is part of the series called “The Future,” an in-house research and design project, which explores the impact of forces like technology and socioeconomics on shifting urban environments in the 21st century. To read more on the background of this work, click here.

Introduction: In our research, we’ve come across some pretty interesting case studies pushing the boundaries of the way artists, designers, and makers conceptualize, craft, and manufacture products.

Case study #1 – Minima Moralia by Jonas Prismontas and Tomaso Boano

Minima Moralia

http://www.archdaily.com/790716/the-minima-moralia-provides-affordable-customizable-studio-space

Designed as a social experiment for London’s unoccupied and misused open spaces, Jonas Prismontas and Tomaso Boano designed urban “pod-like” prototypes as private spaces for designers, sculptors, painters, musicians, and creatives of all types to inhabit. These pods are designed as a programmatic vision for London’s backyards, public plazas, underutilized parks and interstitial spaces.

Minima Moralia Masterplan

http://www.archdaily.com/790716/the-minima-moralia-provides-affordable-customizable-studio-space

Architect in Minima Moralia

http://www.archdaily.com/790716/the-minima-moralia-provides-affordable-customizable-studio-space

Carpenter in Minima Moralia

http://www.archdaily.com/790716/the-minima-moralia-provides-affordable-customizable-studio-space

Fashion Designer in Minima Moralia

http://www.archdaily.com/790716/the-minima-moralia-provides-affordable-customizable-studio-space

Case study #2 – A/D/O by nArchitects

Exterior of Greenpoint’s A/D/O, courtesy ADO + nARCHITECTS; image courtesy Matthew Carbone

Through the backing of the car brand MINI, nArchitects conceived their vision to convert an industrial Greenpoint warehouse into a creative workspace, restaurant, and design store selling selected products for architects and designers. This multi-use space has a central event/exhibition space, a 24-seat studio, and a workshop for the designers to fabricate prototypes and prepare them for the mass market.

nArchitects’ masterplan model, courtesy ADO + nARCHITECTS

A/D/O’s restaurant called Norman, https://www.dezeen.com/2016/12/12/ado-creative-workspace-restaurant-design-store-interiors-brooklyn-building-conversion-narchitects/

Open work space, courtesy ADO + nARCHITECTS; image courtesy Matthew Carbone

A/D/O’s Supply Store, courtesy ADO + nARCHITECTS; image courtesy Matthew Carbone

While co-working and maker spaces are not new to the market, they nonetheless are changing the landscape of the workforce. We, the Work Team, have also been studying the new archetypal spaces that are co-manufacturing spaces. Spaces such as Brick City Makes in St Louis, Missouri, provide production support to small/mid-size manufacturers. The proposed facility, creates up to 37 rentable units while offering services such as business development support and collaborative environments. In Maine, TechPlace, with over 25 tenants, offers shared manufacturing facilities and common spaces, while giving their tenants separate office spaces.

Brick City Makes, St. Louis, Missouri

http://kingrealtyadvisors.com/properties/2528-texas-ave-st-louis-mo-63104

The work team has decided to focus on the city of Kingston, NY, as we look to create two prototypes of the future of the workplace. Kingston is a standard model city for the disenfranchised, blue collar worker. We have decided to land on two buildings in Kingston: (1) a big box, underutilized printing facility located on the outskirts of town, and (2) a multi-use, lite manufacturing/distribution center in the heart of Kingston’s main street that also offers a retail component.

SITE 1: The Daily Freeman, 79 Hurley Ave