When Nissan approached us to convert an NV300 into a mobile workshop we couldn’t think of a more suited project. Not only do we love a challenge but we were literally being asked to design something for ourselves. We often work in far flung parts of the country and having such a versatile refined workspace to use onsite is the ideal solution. We wanted to create something that was both aspirational yet functional, a space we would want to work in.
Our approach was to combine traditional hand made craftsmanship with cutting edge technologies. The main structure is built from ash because of its structural integrity, it’s really lightweight and strong and has played an important part in British coach building history, which we wanted to celebrate. We used birch faced ply for the wall panels and boxes.
We created an ash grid to which we could anchor desks, racks and boxes, giving the interior a strong form and rationale. We then played with the 3 dimensional lines, adding or taking away to create a functional Mondrian-esque grid. Inspired by the versatility and aesthetics of the roam battery, we designed a modular tool crate with a variety of inserts for different tools. The designs for the tool storage came from years of site work, thinking about how we work, which tool you want where. We handed the design of each tool panel or box out to the team, and asked them to design their ideal set up. This idea of allowing carpenters to create their own interpretation is an ancient one.
Light is really important in a workspace and with the power of the roam battery we could turn the entire ceiling into a giant light box, flooding the space with light.
