Warehouse 21

Warehouse 21 (W21) is Santa Fe’s nationally acclaimed community center for youth entertainment, entrepreneurship and artistic production for individuals under the age of 21. Located in the Railyard district of Santa Fe, W21 is the premiere location for the youth of the community to gather, learn, and express themselves.

The building is flexible and will continue to adapt over time.  Its spaces are able to host a variety of functions. Warehouse 21 IS a warehouse.  It has an industrial character to reflect the utilitarian purpose of the facility and it's setting in the Railyard. It has performance spaces capable of hosting concerts, dances, theater, films and community events. Warehouse 21 is a building established as a canvas for art; it has a variety of spaces to both make and display art. The building has been designed so that young artists will decorate it and it's appearance will continue to change over time. It is a place for community.  Santa Feans of all ages go to Warehouse 21 to gather, experience art, and express themselves.

Design Elements  
The design is a flexible “core and shell structure”, that can be further adapted by users as the organization expands and evolves.  It houses visual arts, digital arts, and fashion design studios.  It also contains two performance spaces; a concert hall and a black box performance area.  Each is capable of seating 300 people and is designed to be flexible with quality acoustics for both national and local acts.  A recording studio is attached to the upper level performance space, providing the ability to record both performances and studio sessions.  A double height lobby doubles as circulation space and as a lounge for teens to relax and converse.

Strategically placed windows and skylights with “sunbender” devices will provide abundant daylight to the interior while solar collectors heat domestic water, resulting in significant energy savings for this non-profit organization.  In keeping with the industrial aesthetic of the Railyard, mechanical equipment is left visible and exposed, allowing teens to see how a building works.  The exterior consists of simple corrugated metal panels and blank stucco walls that serve as a canvas for young artists, giving teens as much responsibility as the architect for the building’s final appearance.   A canopy extends along the railroad tracks, providing a good connection to the Railyard and making this the public side of the building.