SkB Annex
A change of setting can change the conversation. SkB Annex gives SkB Architects a place to test that idea. Next door to the firm’s everyday workplace, a circa 1900 book bindery became a more informal environment for important client conversations, all staff gatherings, meetings, events, screenings, and other ways of coming together.
The brick shell, exposed trusses, concrete floor, and glass ends stay deliberately direct, while residential furnishings bring an unexpected familiarity to the workplace. Here, comfort makes room for people to engage differently, exchange ideas more freely, and discover what can happen when work takes place outside the conventions of the office.
Seattle, WA
Adaptive Reuse
Workplace & Hospitality
2,000 SF
The adaptive reuse of a circa-1900 Seattle book bindery preserves the building’s historic street presence while introducing a flexible contemporary workplace behind the existing façade.
Existing concrete surfaces and industrial openings are retained as a direct record of the former bindery, with new signage, lighting, and furnishings inserted with minimal intervention.
Board-formed concrete, wired glass, and exposed services preserve the material character of the original structure, while contemporary furnishings establish an informal meeting environment.
The shared kitchen is organized around a large worktable, pairing new millwork and tile with the building’s exposed timber roof structure, steel framing, and concrete floor.
Existing concrete walls remain largely unfinished, providing a durable backdrop for flexible work settings, project displays, and informal collaboration.
Exposed concrete, mechanical systems, and open shelving retain the utilitarian character of the former industrial building, contrasted with residential-scale furnishings that support less formal modes of work.
A restrained approach to adaptive reuse preserves the building’s industrial structure while precisely placed interventions organize meeting, collaboration, and social space without compromising the openness of the original volume.
