Concrete staircase anchors Purple Brand studios by Scott & Scott Architects

A staircase of raw board-formed concrete curves up the centre of this workspace for denim fashion label Purple Brand in Vancouver, Canada, designed by local studio Scott & Scott Architects.

The 14,000-square-foot (1,300-square-metre) atelier occupies the two floors of a 1973 warehouse in Vancouver's Mount Pleasant neighbourhood.

A concrete reception counter and a chainmail curtain behind — A concrete reception counter and a chainmail curtain greet visitors to Purple Brand's Vancouver atelier

Scott & Scott Architects leaned heavily into the existing structure's aesthetic and retained many of the original features, including metal ceiling trusses and a timber-plank roof.

"The space was designed as a functional studio with the expression of the building's existing material central to the design," the studio told Dezeen.

Between pigmented plywood workstations are matching storage units for samples and garments

"As with Purple Brand's re-working of vintage and utilitarian concepts as the basis of their denim collection, the materials of the space are selected for durability and used in a raw or pigmented manner to wear in over time."

Entry to the operations studio is via the upper level, where a concrete reception counter and a chainmail curtain guard a seating area and rows of long, pigmented plywood workstations beyond.

A large opening is cut into a concrete floor to make room for a staircase connecting the two levels — A large opening with cut into the concrete floor to make room for a staircase connecting the studio's two levels

Between each line of desks is a matching plywood storage element, incorporating cubbies for tucked-away samples and garment rails for displaying clothes.

Private offices and small meeting rooms are located around the perimeter, while the open area at the back is reserved for white layout boards for presentations.

Seating area within a former industrial warehouse with a timber-plank ceiling — Many of the industrial building's original features were retained, including the timber-plank ceiling

In the middle of the studio, Scott & Scott Architects cut a huge pill-shaped hole in the concrete floor to make room for a statement staircase that connects the two levels.

The structure descends in two parallel flights joined by a curved landing that were all cast in situ. They retain the markings of the wooden boards used as formwork.

The same method was used to create communal tables on both levels, which Purple Brand team members are encouraged to use during their breaks or for informal meetings.

"Newly formed as-cast concrete tables and stairs extend out of the existing patina of the floors," said the studio.

A concrete staircase marked with the wooden formwork used to cast the structure in situ — The concrete staircase is marked with the wooden formwork used to cast the structure in situ

Downstairs, a kitchen and dining area with a ping-pong table join further meeting rooms, workstations, and a space for the brand's archive.

Throughout the building, "the services are organised within the existing structure above galvanized plank grating, which houses acoustic panels and indirect lighting that illuminates the original timber plank roofing," said Scott & Scott Architects.

A concrete staircase with a curved landing connecting its two parallel flights — The staircase leads down to further workspaces and an area for storing Purple Brand's archive

The firm, led by Susan and David Scott, took a similarly stripped-back approach to the interiors of an ice cream store in Vancouver, completed in 2016.

Since then, the team has also worked on a beauty bar in the city that features perforated green steel walls from curved nooks slotted with a washbasin and shelving.

The photography is by Andrew Latreille.

Project credits:

Design: Scott & Scott Architects (Susan and David Scott, Andrea Zittlau)
Building architect: Ian Mclean Architecture (Ian Mclean, Nabeela Ladha)
Structural: Ennova Structural Engineers
Mechanical: Flow Engineering
Electrical: RFT Engineering
Builder: Anion Enterprises

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