The
4RM+ULA headquarters project was conceived as an adaptive reuse/renovation of a
non-descript, 20th century office space into a dynamic 21st
century command center for a growing, diverse, ?creative class? company. We required a functional yet dynamic work
environment to both support the creative process and convey a strong brand
identity. The design integrates the
concept of an open, rapidly reconfigurable floor plan and eco-friendly
materials and finishes including non-VOC outgassing paint, modular carpet
tiles, and energy-efficient lighting.
We
strongly believe that the 21st century design firm will be smaller,
more agile, technologically innovative, and information will flow through a
hybrid network/circuit model rather than the high-overhead, top-down hierarchy
that is typical of their 20th century predecessors. In support of this new paradigm, we equipped
the office with modular furniture, workstations on casters, a powerful wireless
computing network, and notebook (rather than desktop) computers so that staff
can easily/quickly/frequently modify their workstations and physical proximity
to one another in order to execute assignments with maximum efficiency and
collaborative plasticity.
4RM+ULA staff
self-performed the majority of the construction and finish work during the
spring of 2008.