DSDHA creates light-filled warehouse studio and gallery for Edmund de Waal
British firm DSDHA has created a new studio and gallery for ceramic artist Edmund de Waal within the shell of a converted munitions warehouse in south London (+ slideshow).
![Edmund de Waal Studio and Gallery by DSDHA](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/07/Edmund-de-Waal-Studio-and-Gallery-by-DSDHA_dezeen_468_3.jpg)
Having designed a smaller studio back in 2005 for the artist, DSDHA founders Deborah Saunt and David Hill were asked to redevelop a larger workspace nearby that could function as a gallery as well as a workplace.
Edmund de Waal, also known as the author of The Hare with Amber Eyes, requested an interior with a variety of spaces, including areas for working on large-scale porcelain artworks and more intimate spaces for quiet reading or sitting at the potter's wheel.
![Edmund de Waal Studio and Gallery by DSDHA](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/07/Edmund-de-Waal-Studio-and-Gallery-by-DSDHA_dezeen_468_2.jpg)
Located in a small industrial yard, the old building was made up of two structures – an open-plan warehouse and an accompanying two-storey office block.
![Edmund de Waal Studio and Gallery by DSDHA](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/07/Edmund-de-Waal-Studio-and-Gallery-by-DSDHA_dezeen_468_8.jpg)
"The concept was to retain the character and volume of the warehouse, but to carefully remove sections of the first-floor concrete slab of the office building, forming a series of double-height spaces for display and providing a greater degree of connection within the building as a whole," explained the design team.
![Edmund de Waal Studio and Gallery by DSDHA](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/07/Edmund-de-Waal-Studio-and-Gallery-by-DSDHA_dezeen_468_0.jpg)
At the heart of the plan is the grand studio space, which takes up the majority of the old warehouse.
Around this, two levels of smaller rooms include a library and writing studio, an office and a series of spaces accommodating the processes of clay modelling.
![Edmund de Waal Studio and Gallery by DSDHA](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/07/Edmund-de-Waal-Studio-and-Gallery-by-DSDHA_dezeen_468_13.jpg)
The building's entrance leads in via a stairwell designed to function as an informal gallery.
A vitrine set into the polished concrete floor creates a sealed display area for ceramics, while additional pieces can be exhibited on a wall-mounted frame.
![Edmund de Waal Studio and Gallery by DSDHA](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/07/Edmund-de-Waal-Studio-and-Gallery-by-DSDHA_dezeen_468_1.jpg)
"This entrance provides an immediate introduction to De Waal's work," said the team, describing the vitrine as "an unexpected view of the artist's collection of porcelain vessels".
![Edmund de Waal Studio and Gallery by DSDHA](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/07/Edmund-de-Waal-Studio-and-Gallery-by-DSDHA_dezeen_468_5.jpg)
The staircase ascends to the library and writing studio upstairs, while a doorway at the rear leads through to the studio.
![Edmund de Waal Studio and Gallery by DSDHA](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/07/Edmund-de-Waal-Studio-and-Gallery-by-DSDHA_dezeen_468_9.jpg)
A north-facing skylight runs along the width of the roof to allow for consistent levels of daylight. The architects also added a series of bespoke work benches to accommodate the artist and his team.
![Edmund de Waal Studio and Gallery by DSDHA](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/07/Edmund-de-Waal-Studio-and-Gallery-by-DSDHA_dezeen_468_10.jpg)
"The scale of this space allows De Waal to display his work in a way that was not possible in his previous studio by simulating the galleries where it is ultimately shown around the world," said the architects.
![Edmund de Waal Studio and Gallery by DSDHA](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/07/Edmund-de-Waal-Studio-and-Gallery-by-DSDHA_dezeen_468_12.jpg)
A new window carved through the old wall offers views out to a small courtyard along the southern edge of the building.
![Edmund de Waal Studio and Gallery by DSDHA](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/07/Edmund-de-Waal-Studio-and-Gallery-by-DSDHA_dezeen_468_7.jpg)
DSDHA also added a partition along one side of the space, screening the kiln room and ceramic glazing area, which is overlooked by a first-floor mezzanine where the potter's wheel sits.
![Edmund de Waal Studio and Gallery by DSDHA](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/07/Edmund-de-Waal-Studio-and-Gallery-by-DSDHA_dezeen_468_4.jpg)
Apart from the dark grey concrete floor, the whole interior has been finished in white paint to create a muted backdrop to the artworks.
"The series of interventions and a modest palette of materials have sought to unify the space and result in a calm and light-filled working environment to balance the relationship between making, display and contemplation," said DSDHA.
![Edmund de Waal Studio and Gallery by DSDHA](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/07/Edmund-de-Waal-Studio-and-Gallery-by-DSDHA_dezeen_468_6.jpg)
"As with Edmund's own work, the building provides a new way of understanding existing spaces as backdrops to evolving ideas, ways of seeing and perceiving future narratives," added the team.
![Edmund de Waal Studio and Gallery by DSDHA](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/07/Edmund-de-Waal-Studio-and-Gallery-by-DSDHA_dezeen_468_11.jpg)
Photography is by Hélène Binet.
Project credits:
Client: Edmund de Waal
Architect: DSDHA
Project Team: David Hills, Deborah Saunt, Martin Pearson, Edward Simpson, Natalie Barton
Contractor: BRAC Contracts Ltd
Structural Engineer: Price & Myers
Services Engineer: Skelly and Couch
Quantity Surveyor: Stockdale Ltd