Our client is a global non-profit venture capital firm who came to us looking for a work environment that supported their horizontal, collaborative organizational structure, but had a more focused, relevant identity, all the while keeping costs modest, focusing on sustainable design principles, and allowing them to take much of their brand-specific elements with them in the future.
The space we worked with was provided to Acumen by one of their investors on very favorable terms, but with two caveats: 1) that the investor could repossess the space in a few years with relatively short notice, and 2) that we use their construction specifications wherever possible on built-in, non-movable items. Since we were developing a brand ID specific to Acumen, this became the inspiration for what we would term the Nomadic Project, whose Nomadic Elements would provide high visual richness and specific branding impact for relatively low cost, designed so they could be easily removed and reused in new future locations. These elements ended up including: the "Saffron Wave" backlit ceiling canopy, whose main components were cut off-site by a CNC mill, then painted, assembled, and installed by a combination of client and architect labor; the fabric ceiling-hung panels; and the custom reception and dining area furniture made of blackened steel and reclaimed antique hear pine.
Team Ate Atema, principal; Amy Campos, project manager; Kasia Ehrhardt, Ryan Bemberg
Photography: MIchael Moran