The concept has been developed around the re-use of the existing, use of natural local materials and investing in the skills of the factory craftsmen in order to bring civic pride and build an authentic visual and material vocabulary close to the company’s identity.The internal building skin is comprised of order of patchwork façade panels, supported by metal construction and fully manufactured on site. The façade panels incorporate the existing glazing of the original building, which has been ordered into an intricate braid of solids and voids, making connection to the past, while reducing building waste. Another major feature of the interior is a double skin corridor on the upper floor, which is a main circulation connection and provides thermal and sound insulation for the office cabinets. Тhe supporting frame elements for the glazing and façade panels were fully manufactured on site by the factory’s craftsmen, as the client was also the contractor, and the design was considered so as to allow the workers to implement it on site. The interior’s furniture has been also materially and technically informed by the factory’s working environment and has been designed in a low tech, simple and practical manner, with all metal parts produced by the factory’s staff. Inviting them into the building process ultimately developed high engagement on a social level from both sides – the architect and the participating occupants of the building. Consequentially, this involvement contributed to the co-creation of an authentic visual and material vocabulary, closely knit to the company’s identity and core values.
