Today we’d like to introduce you to A-industrial Design Build. They and their team shared their story with us below:
Architecture-to-Builder-to-Educator.
We strive to tell our story from our early days at a desk in the Architecture office to our motivation out of it to build our own works for a decade to teaching upcoming architecture students and soon to be construction inspectors the ropes and pitfalls from that journey. We retell the struggles and successful outcomes of various projects and jobs ranging from complexities to originalities.
We LOVE and preach the DESIGN/BUILD approach in the AEC (Architecture/Engineering/Construction) industry. We kill the ego of solo star design to promote a collaborative service approach. Streamlining design into construction as a project delivery method as opposed to the conventional design-bid-build approach. The age of conflict between of the Architect vs Contractor is dead.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
For us a decision for the company was to purchase a building/space to grow with a true maker mentality. We stumbled upon a saw-tooth truss warehouse that had been neglected for two decades and in need of a deep renovation. We had envisioned turning this warehouse into a space for design-build offices for builders, makers, and artists, yet an overall gamble. Majority of the walls, except for one in the warehouse had to be replaced, keeping the nearly 100-year-old truss and beams in the building, which had a great structure and bones, just needed the vision. We were hoping to renovate the two-story building into a professional design-build office, maker space and a residency for a future artist who believes in their craft. To us, the purchase was a personal goal to fulfill the need for a maker space but a big risk to take on a project with a property in such poor condition.
Being professor of Architecture at the Mt San Antonio College, knowing how things are assembled and put together is a crucial and comprehensive skill when creating & designing spaces and buildings. Practical and logistical thinking exercises the thought when constructing from anew or upgrading. We did not want to limit other disciplines as we strongly feel making things with your hands and planning for it are important tools to one’s maker/creator’s life and career.
This belief and the opportunity at hand to potentially create this space was worth the risk for us to dive in & further our and other’s careers. A space to develop a craft and trade, even experiment and dabble with a hobby that can teach discipline.
Following the planning requirements for the property, we hoped to renovate this old 2-bay mechanic shop into a commercial space for emerging professional use. The goals of the property will house our design-build studio as well as the small shops and studios’ of other future maker’s ventures.
When acquiring the property, we had to clear all the mechanic equipment and all the abandoned clutter left behind. The high lofted ceilings allowed for a clear space for a courtyard in the center. For now, the vision for the space is dependent on what the city will allow. Think resourcefulness and budgeting and pushing through with labor of love for what we have for the vision of the building’s future. Our professional construction skill set & abilities have helped push through this venture.
The nearly century-old warehouse has had many lives before its dejected state when we acquired it. Some of discarded relics and tools found in the mechanic shop will make for wall tokens & a solid reminder of the hard work and risk it took to rebuild the structure into a makerspace that will host the future artists and other community builders or creators and help connect makers alike.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
A-INDUSTRIAL is a fully integrated design-build creative studio that streamlines a phased project delivery method that takes your project from concept to construction.
We collaborate and work with you and your ideas to bring your projects to a constructed realization. Collaboration and communication are key fundamental elements that blossom creativity and progress. The design behind projects are driven from formed function and inspired imagination drawn from our series of phased meetings.
Our “one-stop shop” studio approach assists you in avoiding the trouble in finding the trusting entities needed to design, bid and build your project. We have all the resources to fulfill your needs including relations to trusting engineering consultants and honest sub-contractors. Our working relationships are a constant feedback loop of information and communication with yourself, us and our consultants to keep creative projects on track and on schedule.
Contact Info:
- Website: A-ind.com
- Instagram: Aindustrial
Image Credits
CLIPPERS PROJECT photography by ADRIAN VALLE PHOTOGRAPHY. All others are by A-INDUSTRIAL DESIGN/BUILD.
