The Elie Tahari Fashion Design Office and warehouse complex is a renovated storage facility in suburban New Jersey that consists of a 20,000-square-foot office facility and a 200,000-square-foot warehouse annex. Elie Tahari, the fashion designer, was acutely aware of the environmental deficiencies of this spiritless factory building thatlooked out on a parking lot and industrial buildings. The existing environment required a major sustainable solution. To initiate a complete transformation we proposed bringing light and landscape inside to the working staff at the facility by cutting into the existing structure to providing two new courtyard spaces. The perimeter of the interior has suspended white scrim, which allows filtered light inside and translucent viewing to the exterior.Set within the everyday work environment of the office facility, the courtyards frame the main entrance and bring natural light and an outdoor environment into the office interior. More than just providing attractive views, the courtyards are centrally positioned relative to the layout and activities of the office and are symmetrical to the entry axis. The edges of the gardens are left largely transparent so that the natural elements can be experienced from deep within the office space.
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