MadArt Studio
Academic and Cultural
ARCHITECT: Graham Baba Architects
LOCATION: Seattle, WA
CLIENT: MadArt
SCHEDULE: 3 weeks
SIZE: 3,240 sf
The historic structure, originally a car dealership built in 1927, was stripped back to its bones, yielding an art-making space that is open to the neighborhood and encourages engagement between artists and pedestrians. Full-height, sliding wood windows along Westlake Avenue reveal the art-making process and invite people in. Building upgrades include seismic steel moment frames, a new roof, and enhanced mechanical and electrical systems. A mezzanine, inserted between two of the large Howe trusses in the old building, is day lit by a large, 13 ft x 15 ft skylight, which opens up views from the street to the apartments above and provides office space for MadArt.