A+I
Role: Project Manager
100,000SF
2012-2014
As a fast growing tech company, Millennial Media chose to expand their operations into several buildings across a campus. This expansion required a smart strategy for growth while keeping the culture intact and employee base connected. The company made a deliberate decision to remain headquartered in Baltimore, and the architectural intervention makes a strong statement about who they are and their commitment to the city.
A central ‘node’ of program was created to connect multiple spaces and create a shared entry experience for both employees and visitors. The new building reconfigures an existing under-utilized courtyard into terraced green spaces that serves as circulation from ground to the upper floor offices. This addition is Phase 2 of the project and is currently ongoing.
In the meantime, Phase 1 expanded their operations into the large floor plate of the historic American Can Company factory building, one of several that will be part of the larger campus. A thoughtful strategy was required for occupation of the sprawling space in order to keep departments connected but still allow for smaller scale 'neighborhoods' to form.
An angled circulation ‘avenue’ was cut across the space to better connect remote points and act as an organizing axis. A central ‘node’ was created in the townhall, at the intersection of several circulation paths and the avenue. This space accommodates a variety of activities from casual meetings and employee dining to company-wide presentations, bringing the disparate working groups together daily.
To allow for the mobility embraced by the laptop-oriented company a variety of work spaces were created with varying levels of light and acoustic privacy. Off the central circulation spine ‘neighborhoods’ of open workspace were developed, broken up by bars of enclosed meetings rooms and offices. To gain additional square footage, take advantage of the ceiling heights and lift program toward the clerestory windows, mezzanines were added on top of these enclosed rooms. These lofted areas provided break-away space for programmers, lounges with whiteboard for meetings, recreation space for games, etc. Light shafts protruded through the mezzanines to bring natural light to the enclosed rooms below.
A+I
Role: Project Manager
87,000 SF
2011-2013
Hain Celestial relocated their offices from a suburban office park to an historic building with a manufacturing history, occupying the entire 4-story space. A+I was tasked with designing a headquarters that expressed the company’s global mission to provide products that promote healthy living. Hain’s previous space lacked identity and a sense of shared purpose for the employees. The new design places their product and food research process central to the office space and function, physically unifying the company around the mission and exposing the visiting public to the product.
It was vital to the daily function of the company to have their products accessible throughout the space, yet a more appropriate solution than the previous unfortunate “cardboard-box-under-desk” storage had to be developed. Custom colorful metal storage units are distributed throughout open areas and meeting spaces. These units supported a variety of mobile storage shelves and baskets, which allowed for both the display of product as well as the ability for employees to access and transport throughout the office. A variety of meeting and break-out spaces, largely centered on eating or on the products themselves, are integrated into the workspaces on all floors, giving employees space to collaborate around the product easily and often.
Graphics throughout the building integrate global agricultural images, reflecting sources of Hain’s products. All extraneous materials were removed from the space to reveal the building’s elegant, industrial concrete structure, allowing the product to take center stage.
To give visitors a sense of the breadth of the company and the physical space the ground floor reception area was opened to the floor above, and to the connecting stair. A café/food lab and employee store flank the main reception. These display the full line of Hain Celestial products and engage the visiting public in Hain’s ongoing in-house development. The penthouse floor holds a test kitchen and adjacent meeting space where new concepts are also developed and tested. The executive area includes a large pantry with lounge seating, where the CEO can regularly invite visitors and employees to try products.
The CEO’s office was designed with this communal gathering around food and conversation in mind. The space needed to reflect Irwin Simon’s style of warmly welcoming visitors to experience his company with a ‘hands on’ experience of tasting and sampling. Product display shelves similar to those throughout the larger office are a central feature, allowing him to continually grab and share product. A large inviting desk doubles as a meeting table, surrounded by colorful, eclectic chairs. Playful scales and styles of furniture give the office unique personality, while the materials and product display are consistent with the rest of the building, reinforcing this space as a continuation of the overall office experience.
A+I
Role: Lead Designer
47,000 SF
2011-2012
A+I
Role: Designer
30,000 SF
2011-2012
The offices of this innovative firm needed to reflect and promote their dynamic business model. SYP partners with CEOs and executive teams to solve some of their most complex branding and identity challenges. They often spend days or weeks with their clients on site hashing out ideas. The design challenge for the office was to provide an open flexible work environment which would promote collaboration among not SYP employees and these client teams.
The teams often ranged in size and space requirements so a series of working “pods” was created. These can be divided from one another by foam core boards mounted in tracks installed in the floor and ceiling. The pods can thus expand or contract, depending on the needs of the client. Demountable hanging perforated felt panels screen these spaces from public areas and help dampen acoustics.
Much of the rest of the space is devoted to two large “Labs” which utilize numerous digital projectors, wall-length whiteboards, and mobile furniture to create a fluid working area for large presentations and brainstorming. Custom rolling tables with projectable whiteboard surfaces and rolling steel magnetic whiteboards allow maximum flexibility for SYP’s working style.
Seamless connectivity though technology is vital to the company’s work flow and has been incorporated throughout the space, including the variety of chat rooms which range in size from individual to four-person and allow for video conferences with clients and with SYP’s San Francisco office.
Simple materials like plywood and laminate are combined with industrial elements like blackened steel or sleeker items like walnut and stainless cabinetry to create an eclectic mix of high and low aesthetic. Mid-century classic furniture is mixed freely with a variety of industrial vintage pieces to further accentuate this comfortable and quirky aesthetic.
A+I
Role: Project Manager
1M SF Commercial + Residential Development
Ongoing
A+I
Role: Designer
55,000SF
2010-2011
KUBE Architecture
Role: Designer
6,000SF Residential Addition
2007-2008
A+I
Role: Project Manager
10,000 SF
2014
Pennsylvania State University
Blue Band Performance Building
2004 3rd Year Design Studio
Pennsylvania State University
Urban Housing + Community Center
2005 4th Year Rome Design Studio