This project was the tenant improvement of mainly the ground floor of a 2-story office building that houses the mortgage technology company DocMagic.
Having previously designed and built the second floor we were tasked with expanding the office to the first floor. The ground floor needed to tie in seamlessly in its design whilst still providing new kinds of spaces. There were a number of issues the client needed addressed. As a growing tech company, they needed to attract talent and create work spaces that fostered teamwork and focus. They were sorely lacking an adequate number of meeting spaces and of different sizes and to support different kinds of meetings – from webcasting tutorials to video conferencing. The departments that needed to be housed on the ground floor were the IT and the software development groups. Both with very different workflows and needs. IT did not require too much collaboration space but did need access to all the data created by the company to remain perpetually aware of data output of the business. Software Development needed quick meetup spaces and whiteboards throughout. Both were very important departments. In addition to these functional needs, the client was having issues with energy usage and badly distributed air conditioning.
To maintain a clear connection between the two levels, we continued a strategy of color-blocking key spaces and continued the sleek and minimal design aesthetic into the ground floor. New needs and work environments were identified and developed into unique and striking spaces; each with its own distinct purpose, and branded with a bold color. Multiple meeting rooms are scattered throughout, varying in size from small video webcasting booths to large general meeting rooms. Counters and ledges were integrated into the work space where possible and paired with writable walls (glass and solid) to make quick meet sessions easy and accessible to all. New types of space such as ‘The Library’ (the orange room) was added adjacent to the downstairs pantry to provide flexibility of use and an alternate work environment open to all staff. A video booth for recording webinars; a ‘Study’ inspired by First Class air travel allows focused solo work; a sound room with a porthole in the door for private conversations. The IT room boasts tiered seating and a 20’ wide media wall allowing the team to keep track of important company data. The software development team sits in a cluster of custom hexagonal desks giving them a unique, untraditional environment.
The entire HVAC system was revamped to be more efficient and effective. Sustainable features were integrated into the design throughout including LED lights to replace all existing fluorescent, low flow faucets, and a new solar panel array on the roof with battery storage in the parking lot.