Although they are the global leader in developing and manufacturing technologies that harness energy from industrial fluid processes, Energy Recovery Inc. doesn’t consider themselves a tech company, or a manufacturing company or an R&D company, even though they excel at these and more. In fact, they prefer to call themselves “Fluid Innovators, ” and to demonstrate this philosophy to their staff and clientele, they chose to re-brand the common areas of their San Leandro global headquarters as an extension of their overall re-positioning of the company.
The existing facility, while functional, was sterile and outdated, so our design intent was to subtlety begin to incorporate the idea of fluidity and innovation into select interiors, as a cost-effective way of refreshing the office, while slowly introducing the staff to the new brand. To achieve this, we focused only on redesigns of the main lobby and reception area; the common circulation core throughout the office; and the shared lunch room. To keep costs down, the work was minimally invasive and additive: a new lobby, new furnishings, a brighter paint scheme and a sophisticated graphics program to tie it all together.
Energy Recovery prides itself on the quality workmanship of their products, one of which is an unparalleled ceramic that they fabricate specifically for their devices. To showcase their expertise in this area, we placed their signature ceramic rotor front and center within the reception desk, screened only by a patterned and fluid glass in the company’s corporate colors. This new desk embodies the concepts of quality, technical expertise, fluidity, and innovation that Energy Recovery is based upon.
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