1. library of 10 questions
-studio for a stranger
the client: richard holland
april 2009
the architect: gøran johansen

2. Interview with my client, Richard Holland
Student architect, Sheffield school of architecture.
What do you do for relaxation?
When is your birthday?
I like to play guitar, watch films and take photos, I love going out, finding a good motif and
September 7th, 1983
take the time to get a good picture.
What line of work do you do?
Are you a social person?
I`m a student architect
I am very social, even when it comes to working. I like working with or close to someone,
collaborating and exchanging ideas and experiences.
What kind of room would you like?
The room should be in context to my study, like a Studio environment.
Do you often listen to music?
I like making models, hand-drawings and photography, producing work.
I listen to music all the time, when I`m out walking or inside working. I don`t like silence
In one way I`m very tidy, almost strict/controlled, but in another way I could be quite
at all.
messy.
But when I read, I need to focus, and not have music.
Almost like a split personality.
But I don`t read that much.
I find listening to music very relaxing.
Are you a night or day person?
I like to work during the day, you know, finish at 7 pm. Separate my work from my life,
Do you like to travel?
But I can easily work in the evenings also, if necessary.
And I would probably move abroad when I have graduated, don`t know where yet.
I don’t feel that I belong somewhere, and I do not own many belongings. In fact you could
Are you urban or nature?
fit all my belongings in one bag.
I am all into infrastructure and urbanism, like the oil-rigs I`m currently working on.
Like Post-industrial. I just love the silo-tower on that other side there, across from BAS.
If you could take just one thing with you, to an island, what would it be?
But I don’t like the down town city Centre kind of urbanism.
I would take an acoustic guitar with me, even though I don’t have one.
I am an outdoors type of guy. I`ve lived in Canada, where I went canoeing and camping.
I grew up in the country. And I love getting away.
Assumptions I had to make:
The location is in Sheffield, near the school or his home.
This because he wanted a workspace related to his study. To be able to use this space in a
realistic matter, it has to be within a close perimeter of his world of study/living.
The project as a whole has to be as believable as possible, in regards to size, budget
and in how it is located.
I make this assumption, because Richard was all the time talking about a real situation,
describing his everyday life in an authentic surrounding.

3. o study
text t
in con
space
work post-industrial
onality
t pers
spli
separate
loves music work fro
try m life
in the coun
grew up
very soci
likes to travel al

4. separate work from life post-industrial
urban but not downtown
work at daytime
oil-rigs
focus on work, then
re-use
live
old silos
grew up in the country retrofit, rough, large space
natural elements
back to basic
split personality wilderness
calm
loves music
tidy VS messy
flexibility
diverse space/interior does not like silence
good acoustics
likes to travel
very social
few belongings
storage, or lack of it
movable workspace/
contact, direct & visually
interior
accessability
shared space

5. workspace in context to study
clients home
my client is studying at sheffield school of architec-
ture, and hens his workspace needs to be related to
the school or his home, in sheffield.
not knowing sheffield, i desided to give him a
challange.
sheffield
clients school
the immigrant and I
this is a map of the present and future oil-feilds
outside the coast of norway
what i do, is i apply this map upon the map of
sheffield, adjusting it so that the city of bergen,
witch is our connection, is apllied on to the school,
and then twisting the map so that the clients home is
coherent with our greatest landmark, Nordkapp.
then he can locate these spots, and see what qualities
they give.

6. separate work from life
life
isolate amongs everyday life
work
or
elevate above everyday life
My client is a hard worker, but likes to
separate work from the rest of his life.
he primarily likes to works from morn-
ing, to afternoon. not that much during
evening or nights.
the elevation becomes
he is a daytime person.
a transformation from
life to work
so, the focus on developing the space,
needs to be on daylight/daytime.

7. split personality
it could be two equal spaces, but i should be two
different spaces, in quality.
so that it does not matter what space is chaos or
what is order, the distinction between the two
spaces would function as an internal transformation
from the one to the other.
space of chaos space of order
light from side
light from above
working with light and
materials to strengthen the differenses
of the two personalities
glass wood concrete

8. post-industrial
my client is currently working with a project on the reuse of old oil-rigs.
and has a fascination for post-industrial architecture like oil-rigs, cranes
and old silo-buildings

9. very social
my client is very social, and enjoys to work with other peo-
ple during study.
but wanting to separate his work from life, i thought the
workspace should not trigger to much social invitation.
I want him to be close to the social arena, but in a remote
state of mind.
the space it self should have the possibilites of functioning
with two or more people, so there should be space for more
than just my client.
likes to travel he likes to travel, and has very few belongings.
he said he could fit everything he owned in one
suitcase.
loves music
so, when it comes to storage, it would only be
relatetd to study. therefore no need for too much
storage-space
He loves music, and listens to it all the time.
he is not found of silence.
so the space needs to be a good acoustic space.

10. the concept
my client loves to travel, and does not feel at rest, anywhere. so my concept
became like an immigrant. with the challange given him, he could locate
a spot that could give him the necessary basis for his study.
park water street residential school
to elevate his workspace above life, but not away from life oil-rig - his work, his passion workspace - his work, his passion

11. the construction
basis
folding
dividing
sectioning
strenghten
I base my main construction on the reuse of steel, using the shape
of the oil-rig as a foundation.
by dividing the sections like i have, it creates a more rythmic
movement, instead of stoping at the corner, it continues around.
the size is a result of how little space is needed for two-three
people to be able to work. much like the efficient use of space on
an oil-rig.

12. glass-roof
massif wood
steel-plate roof
with inside
insulation
glass-walls
steel-construction
split personality, two spaces. giving them different
qualities by hight, depth, light and material.
massif wood
one is light and bright, the other is heavy and dark.
with underlined
steel-
construction
steel-pipe
with inside spiral staircase

13. the plan and facades
facade 01 facade 02 facade 03 facade 04
7000
30m2
7000

14. the interior
0
30
1
700
2800
i wanted to try and combine screens, storage and furniture in one.
and came up with a system on sliders.
five panels, having the ability to convert into shelves, desk for sit-
ting, and desk for standing.
And at the same time function as screening for light and privacy.
these screens can be moved around, removed or ajusted to what perspective view of one
suits the situation best, at the time. possibility

15. 5000
5300
acoustic reflecting ceiling
3500
3500
2770
2200
acoustic absorbent panels
6000
6000
section A section B

16. the ephemeral immigrant
my client is a student, a drifter who likes to travel, and explore.
in such matter his workspace becomes an ephemeral immigrant,
which will disappear.