FRAMEWORK: a shared work space
Conversion of two adjacent commercial storefronts into a co-working space in downtown Pittsfield, MA by architects ARCADE.
FRAMEWORK is a co-working space in Pittsfield, MA, a small, post-industrial city whose downtown has been fighting to revive itself after undergoing a sharp economic downturn in the 1980s.
Today, a younger generation of artists, designers, and entrepreneurs, many of whom grew up in the Berkshire region and are returning to the area to take part in its revival, are beginning to open studios and small businesses on North Street, the core of the Pittsfield's downtown.
FRAMEWORK is the newest addition to this effort -- a coworking space to draw together a new generation of thinkers in the region. The space is designed by ARCADE, whose principals Tessa Kelly and Chris Parkinson both grew up locally and returned to Pittsfield to start their architecture practice.
The design of FRAMEWORK utilizes a cost-conscious play of plywood and polycarbonate panels to create moveable partitions and semi-transparency within the offices and conference rooms.
In plan, the space connects two adjacent commercial storefronts, with the right side a public zone for drop-ins and socializing, and the left side a private bar of offices. The conference rooms in the heart of the space invite mixing and cross-over.