CO*LAB（社区艺术实验室）位于一个目前服务不足的社区，它将一个普通的现有建筑改造成当地艺术社区的一个重要基础设施。面对有限的预算，设计团队通过具有挑战性的现有条件，满足承租人–一个非营利性艺术团体–雄心勃勃的项目需求。所创造的空间包括一个画廊、黑盒剧院、工作室、工作室和一个咖啡馆。业主提出的另一个目标是，该项目要以一种真实的方式吸引街道和社区，让该地区的现有和未来居民都能接受。

Located in a currently underserved neighborhood, CO*LAB (Community Arts Laboratory) adapts a modest existing building into a critical piece of infrastructure for the local arts community. Faced with a limited budget, the design team worked through challenging existing conditions to meet the ambitious programmatic needs of the tenant, a not-for-profit arts group. Spaces created include a gallery, black box theatre, workshops, studios, and a café. An additional goal, outlined by the owner, was for the project to engage the street and the community in an authentic manner that current and future residents of the area would embrace.

该设计通过在外墙打孔，将当地艺术孵化器的活动与街道和邻近的自行车道联系起来，实现了这些目标。大胆的、图形化的色彩和照明方法为该项目创造了一个强大而真实的身份。部分灵感来自于CO*LAB的年度灯会，该建筑体现了一种向外辐射到街上的能量。插入北立面的大型可操作玻璃门在建筑内的活动和展品与市中心之间建立了视觉联系，同时将漫射光带入艺术画廊和多功能空间。画廊空间和主入口的立面被重新填上发光的聚碳酸酯板。

The design achieves these objectives through perforating the façade and connecting the activities of the local art incubator to the street and adjacent bike lane. A bold, graphic approach to color and illumination creates a strong yet genuine identity for the project. Inspired in part by CO*LAB’s annual lantern festival, the building embodies an energy that radiates outward onto the street. Large operable glazed doors inserted into the north façade create a visual link between the events and exhibits within the building and downtown while bringing diffuse light into the art gallery and multi-use space. The gallery space and main entry façade are recladded in glowing polycarbonate panels.

在白天，不同的材料有助于打破立面，使街景更加生动。外墙被涂成白色，以提供凝聚力，并允许在晚上进行投影视觉装置。建筑外部的亮黄色吸引了人们对新设计元素（标牌、街道设施、门和金属包层）的注意。在内部，全黄色的走廊提升了画廊和黑盒剧院之间的普通走廊，在两种体验之间创造了一个 “调色板”。

During the day, the differing materiality helps to break up the elevation, animating the streetscape. The facade is painted white to provide cohesion and allows for projected visual installations in the evening. Bright yellow on the exterior of the building draws attention to new design elements (signage, street furniture, doors, and metal cladding). In the interior, the all-yellow hallway elevates an otherwise generic corridor, between the gallery and black box theatre, creating a “palette cleanser” between the two experiences.

在多功能空间的南立面，紧挨着面向大道的一组车库门被插入，轴向连接街道和后院。这种连接进一步鼓励了以社区为中心的表演，为安排多种规模和观众的活动带来了大量的可能性。相应的街道设施，虽然是永久固定的，但被安排得很轻巧和随意，吸引着人群走向连接多功能/剧院空间的车库门。与现有建筑的合作被证明是最大的设计挑战。在拆除阶段，需要对招标文件进行修改，因为一个假的地板被揭开并拆除。

An additional set of garage doors was inserted into the south elevation of the multi-purpose space, immediately across from the set facing the avenue, axially connecting the street to the rear courtyard. This connection further encourages community-centric performances, inviting a large range of possibilities for arranging events of many scales and audiences. The corresponding street furniture, although permanently fixed, is arranged to look light and informal, beckoning crowds toward the garage door that connects to the multipurpose/theatre space. Working with the existing building proved to be the greatest design challenge. Alterations to the tender documentation were needed following the demolition phase, as a false floor was uncovered and removed.

考虑到有限的占地面积和紧张的预算，这是一个雄心勃勃的项目，该设施在COVID-19大流行期间开放。在过去的两年里，它举办了几次容量有限的活动，但其影响已被证明是巨大的。CO*LAB目前在一条专门的自行车道上设有一个成功的临时咖啡馆，作为每周音乐会的场所，与农贸市场同时进行，并举办虚拟艺术节目。该空间预计将成为剧院空间的一个重要表演场所，并成为艺术家驻场计划的所在地。CO*LAB增强了现有的市中心的结构，增加了一个大胆的发光黄色的线。

An ambitious project, given the limited footprint and tight budget, the facility opened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the last two years, it has hosted several limited capacity events, yet its impact has proved significant. CO*LAB currently houses a successful pop-up café on a dedicated bike route, serves as a venue for weekly concerts coinciding with the farmer’s market, and holds virtual art programming. The space is anticipated to be a key venue for performances in the theatre space and home to an artist in residence program. CO*LAB augments the existing downtown fabric, adding a bold thread of glowing yellow.

Architects: RPK Architects
Area : 550 m²
Year : 2020
Photographs :Adam Borman
Manufacturers : Altro, Palram, Benjamin Moore, Fórmica, Ral, Roppe
Structural Engineering Company : Entuitive
Mechanical Engineering : MCW Hemisphere
Electrical Engineering : MCW Hemisphere
Design Architect : Jan Kroman
Intern Architect : Dania Atassi
Project Designers : Robert Maggay, Teagan MacNeil
Contract Administration : Dan Letourneau
Artistic Director : Quarter’s Art
Project Sponsor : City of Edmonton
Architecture Contractor : Delnor Construction
City : Edmonton
Country : Canada