This is a project that I worked on while under the employ of another firm. This firm practiced a very flat hierarchy where everyone on the team was an equal and shared every task from programming to specifying the structural system and from designing the exterior elevations to laying out the workstations. Not many architects get this kind of experience. (Most firms have an assembly line where the partners do the design and whatever's left over is given to the CAD monkeys.) Due to this, I have many different abilities that I can offer my commercial and residential clients. I post this project to illustrate the depth of my commitment and experience and demonstrate the level of professionalism that I can offer my clients. If you don't see something on these pages, please ask -- Architecture is a process, hence our name makeArchitecture, and we post these examples as outcomes to illustrate what can be done. If there's something you're interested in, we'd like to hear about it. It maybe that we have done something similar but haven't posted an example. We are experts at going through the process with our clients. A thorough process is our signature and while there are firms who design the same building ten times, we use the same process rooted in thorough professionalism to design ten different buildings. There's a significant difference.We're seasoned, Licensed Professionals looking for new challenges.
The client was a large organization that needed to consolidate their far-flung operations under one roof next to their laboratory operations. We began with a budget, an inventory of existing space needs, a future growth chart and a wish list. From there we put together a program and created a dozen different schemes. We narrowed these down to three and the client picked the two bars with a atrium center.
What makes this a Green office building? The floorplates are only 60 feet wide so that natural light is available to everyone in the open office floor plan. It has operable windows and the atrium has an operable clerestory so that it can be naturally ventilated. The carpeting was made from recycled material as were the workstations, ceiling panels and the toilet partitions. The south elevation features a brise au soleil (middle, below) which I spent a lot of time detailing. It allows light to brighten the offices in winter but keeps the interior shaded from the hot summer sun. It has a horizontal emphasis and is interesting visually as well as practically.
The building was completed in the spring 2003 and I will publish photos as soon as they are available.
