By Rachel Gallaher
Updated: Jul 25, 2021
Brussels-based designer Noro Khachatryan transforms an empty warehouse into a new studio and cultural arts hub.
As seen in Issue 58
For the past 18 months, designer and architect Noro Khachatryan has been meticulously renovating an empty warehouse in the Molenbeek neighborhood of Brussels, Belgium. The result—a creative hub that encompasses Khachatryan’s studio along with a new double-height exhibition and gallery space for Harlan Levey Projects—is a pared-back space that serves as a neutral backdrop for Khachatryan’s work (in addition to interior architecture, he also designs furniture and décor objects).
The building, which dates to 1890, had undergone a series of structural and interior interventions over the years, giving it, as Khachatryan says, “a sort of layering of history and techniques. At the same time, since it has always been in the same family, all the interventions were very harmonious. The goal was to preserve the building’s industrial character as much as possible, and to make it as livable, functional, and ecological as possible.”
Using materials that fit into this vernacular—steel, concrete, aluminum—the designer updated the warehouse, but was careful not to stray from its utilitarian origins (some parts were left completely untouched). The two levels are connected by a striking switchback welded staircase, and 32,000 rectangular tiles comprise the floor of Khachatryan’s studio, the open courtyard, and gallery’s office. “I hope that the ‘purified’ visual language allows viewers to bring their own specific interpretations to the work,” he says. “It is thanks to this approach that the spaces radiate a sense of peace and tranquility.”
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