![L'Atelier by A6A](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2024/04/latelier-a6a-bordeaux-workshop-architecture-self-designed-studios-france_dezeen_1704_hero-852x479.jpg)
A6A creates "haven in the middle of the city" for its Bordeaux studio
Architecture studio A6A has converted a former model-making workshop in Bordeaux into a studio for itself that is defined by pared-back materials and spaces.
Named L'Atelier, the L-shaped block was originally formed of a street-facing garage, a central garden and a large shed to the rear.
Drawn to the spatial organisation and finishes of the workshop, A6A made minimal alterations but transformed it into a series of flexible workspaces intended to "reflect the philosophy" of the studio.
![View from garden within L'Atelier in Bordeaux](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2024/04/latelier-a6a-bordeaux-workshop-architecture-self-designed-studios-france_dezeen_1704_col_1-852x1065.jpg)
"We found many resonances with our approach to the profession in this space, an ideal place to realise our vision of architecture," said A6A.
"We wanted to design a place for experimentation and meeting, which leaves room for manual work and research," it told Dezeen.
"[It's] a timeless intervention in an existing building that we will never tire of over time."
![Studio interior by A6A](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2024/04/latelier-a6a-bordeaux-workshop-architecture-self-designed-studios-france_dezeen_1704_col_12-852x1065.jpg)
Facing the street, the existing steel door to the garage has been retained, above which a sign with the name of the original workshop owner can still be seen.
This heavy steel door leads into L'Atelier's model workshop and material library – an open, flexible space with a sanded concrete floor and a long birch storage wall.
![Workspace at L'Atelier in France](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2024/04/latelier-a6a-bordeaux-workshop-architecture-self-designed-studios-france_dezeen_1704_col_8-852x682.jpg)
Here, original wood and glass doors to the garden have been preserved, beyond which a series of new and existing paving stones provide access to the main studio. This is accessed by a set of double-height, glass sliding doors.
"The garden appears like a haven in the middle of the city, a plant explosion which owes a lot to its original configuration and which we have come to amplify by integrating ground covers and shade plants with a tropical look," said A6A.
In L'Atelier's main studio space, the large volume of the existing shed has been retained, with more private areas such as meeting rooms and a toilet housed in a standalone wooden volume. A small mezzanine with additional workspaces sits above it.
The shed's exterior walls and metal frame – the only elements that A6A could preserve – are complemented by a new roof of slender white-steel trusses and birch desks and bookshelves below.
![Studio interior designed by A6A](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2024/04/latelier-a6a-bordeaux-workshop-architecture-self-designed-studios-france_dezeen_1704_col_14-852x1065.jpg)
"Three materials dominate the project," explained the studio.
"Each of the materials was used for its structural characteristics and the ability to do certain work ourselves: we formed and poured concrete, partly sanded the slab and entirely manufactured all the fittings in wood," it added.
![View towards garden at L'Atelier by A6A](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2024/04/latelier-a6a-bordeaux-workshop-architecture-self-designed-studios-france_dezeen_1704_col_16-852x682.jpg)
A6A, which is known fully as Atelier 6 Architecture, was founded in Bordeaux in 2013 by Michel Hardoin, Roberto de Uña and Antoine Ragonneau. Previous projects by the studio include an off-grid and easily transportable cabin in Ustaritz, which is clad in charred planks of Douglas fir.
Other self-designed studios on Dezeen include Paul Westwood's office in a disused garage in London and The Act of Quad's workspace in a former library in Mumbai.
The photography is by Rory Gardiner.