Slideshow: one of Antony Gormley's sculptures appears to guard the entrance to the British artist's new galvanised steel workshop, designed by London architects Carmody Groarke.

The new space is an extension to Gormley’s existing studio in Kings Cross.

Galvanised steel is used throughout for its durability as well as aesthetic purposes.

The mono-pitched frame includes four bays, which are each accessed by mechanically operated roller shutters.

The bays can be separated off from each other or joined into one large space.

We've featured a number of projects by Carmody Groarke - click here to read them.

Photography is by Oak Taylor Smith.

Here is some more information from the architects:

Artist Workshop

Carmody Groarke designed this new artist workshop for Antony Gormley adjacent to his existing studio in London.The artist who works predominantly in metal, required more space to store raw metal materials and space for heavy duty processes to finish sculptures. The workshop has a mono pitched roof and is split into four ‘bays’, so that the internal space inside the building could be divided into separate processes. The building’s structure is made of a galvanised steel mono-pitched frame that is clad in bespoke galvanised steel panels in order to withstand the industrial nature of the artist’s creative process. Access into each bay is through mechanically operated galvanised steel roller shutters doors, which were carefully integrated into the design of the cladding and structure.

The use of hot dipped galvanised steel as a cladding material was considered for its robust nature, its excellent durability as well as its aesthetic appearance. Considerable research and prototyping was undertaken to ensure that the process of hot dip galvanising was controlled to achieve the desired accuracy of material junction and visual appearance. This yielded a design that maintains the protective qualities of the galvanising to prolong the lifespan of the building and gives the building a reassuringly solid and sculptural appearance. The completed workshop building now operates successfully within the artist’s studio in Kings Cross, London and was recently awarded a Commendation in the 2012 Architects’ Journal Small Projects Awards.