Ashley McGraw moved its downtown Syracuse office from 500 South Salina Street to the 15th floor of the Onondaga Tower at 125 East Jefferson Street in September 2014.
The firm sought an office environment that reflects the firm’s core belief that a habitable future depends on a mutually beneficial relationship between human made and natural systems. Targeting LEED Silver certification, the office features LED lighting, daylighting, occupancy controls, low VOC paint and finishes, low flow bathroom fixtures, and reused materials from their former office. The flooring in the office’s studio area is a former gymnasium floor and the entryway features reclaimed wooden bleachers, both sourced from the Geneva City School District.
The new office layout was developed after months of lunch seminars, workshops, and office culture discussion with employees. The office features an open landscape concept with no furniture partitions between workstations, promoting a visually open and collaborative environment with the flexibility for easy change of task and project teams. A variety of workspaces are available for daily use including sit-to-stand desks at every workstation, breakout hubs, and larger gathering spaces with various technologies available. Many of these spaces are reconfigurable for design discussions, office presentations, client meetings, or lunch seminars.