An environmentally focused investment firm wished to have an office that reflected their ethos. Located in one of the historic warehouse buildings at the North end of the Presidio, the intervention is minimal, amplifying the contrast between historic and new. Private offices ring the perimeter with floor to ceiling glass fronts and wood detailing, carefully sized to express the existing columns of the space. Utilizing these existing tree like structures and the skylights scattered in the central space, the design creates an open office area that feels like a clearing in a forest. The primary focal point as you enter is a faceted weathered steel sculpture, evocative of a split redwood. This sculpture, reaching up to a skylight, provides both privacy for the open office beyond while being a unifying element of the space. As mentioned, the design celebrates the history of the space by adding as minimally to the space as needed. The existing structure and finishes were touched as little as possible. No carpeting was used, only area rugs. Walls do not reach to the ceiling/roof, but instead have their own self supported enclosures. Aesthetically, the goal of the design was to compliment the history, but not mimic. As such, there is a clear delineation between the rough existing wood, and the highly tailored new surfaces and structures.
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