The Office: Three Recent Projects Highlight the Evolution of the Workplace
BY NORA BURBA TRULSSON
RNL Headquarters
Denver, Colorado
RNL | Michael Brendle, FAIA; David Key, IIDA; and AnneMarie Dienstbach | Denver, Colorado
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARCUS FARR
 An open staircase connects the RNL lobby to the upper floor. The mannequin displays "couture" crafted from architectural interiors material.
Several years ago, the Denver office of RNL was in need of larger quarters and an updated image. The firm, which handles architecture, interiors, landscape architecture, planning and engineering through offices in Phoenix and Los Angeles in addition to Denver, had been located in Denver's urban and culturally rich LoDo district for years. "We found a new location directly across the street from our old office," explains RNL interior designer AnneMarie Dienstbach, who worked on the office project with firm principal Michael Brendle, FAIA; and interior designer David Key, IIDA. "It allowed us to stay in LoDo."
The new space was some 44,000 square feet divided between the second and third floors of a wedge-shaped building that features retail at street level. The RNL design team, which also included Wendy Weiskopf, IIDA, LEED AP; Rene Stremel, LEED AP; Patty Thwaites, LEED AP; Tom Flanagan, PE; Paul Ruffini, PE, LEED AP; and Ryan Meador, LEED AP; went to work creating a new workspace that would not only accommodate the needs of about 145 employees, but would also highlight the firm's commitment to sustainable design.
"Our old space had a 'front of the house, back of the house' concept," explains Key. "We wanted the new office to be transparent, so that clients could participate in the design experience. We were going for more of an open space."
The design team crafted a floorplan that encourages collaboration and mingling — no easy task in a triangular-shaped space that discouraged 90-degree angles. An open interior staircase between the two floors became the hub of the floorplan. On the second level, the staircase helps to mark the reception lobby, which is surrounded by several conference rooms of varying sizes. All of the firm's disciplines — architecture, interiors, landscape architecture, planning and engineering — were given workspaces on the second floor to foster that sense of collaboration. More architectural workspaces and conference rooms, plus human resources, marketing and accounting, were placed on the third floor. The new floorplan also included a catering kitchen and a model shop, two functions that were not addressed in RNL's previous office.
 The lobby opens onto the second-floor work areas, allowing visitors easy access to RNL design professionals.
"We made sure that the floorplan forced people to get up and go between floors on a regular basis," says Dienstbach. "We put the break room on the second floor, and the mail, copy and payroll areas on the third floor so that employees would have to traverse between floors for everyday needs."
In an additional twist on the floorplan, the design team chose to name the main conference rooms for the continents and adjacent workrooms for cities within those conference rooms. Meetings, therefore, take place in exotic-sounding "Asia" or "Milan," rather than "Conference Room One" or "Workroom Seven."
While RNL was unable to make changes on the perimeter of the building, the design team did raise the ceiling level on the second floor to take advantage of the full height of the building's windows, adding more daylight and a sense of volume to that floor. Both floors have few walls. Instead, workstations and semiprivate offices for firm principals reiterate the open design theme. Conference rooms feature glass walls. Those on the second floor have retractable glass walls that can be pulled back to create a large central space off the reception lobby for social gatherings.
 On the third floor, the airy staircase is surrounded by more work areas and conference rooms.
The design team chose a simple black-and-white color scheme, punched up with splashes of red and orange, and kept furnishings sleek and low profile. The second floor features a niche for the firm's mannequin, dressed in an ever-changing ensemble crafted from interiors materials such as upholstery fabric or vinyl tiles. Upstairs, a niche near a conference room displays awards and acknowledgments. The emphasis, however, says Dienstbach, was to be on the people and the work.
As RNL has positioned itself as an advocate for sustainable design, much thought was given to green materials and strategies. The design team replaced the film on the perimeter windows with a 3M film that has better thermal properties and transparency. MechoShade's Ecoveil shades were used to cut glare and further heat gain. Renewable cork flooring softens footsteps in the reception lobby and several conference rooms, while recycled-content red rubber flooring adds punch to the stair treads. Recycled-content carpeting was used in the balance of the workspaces. Other eco-friendly materials were utilized, including low-VOC paints, urea-free formaldehyde MDF board for millwork, Marmoleum for countertops and Solatubes to add additional daylight to the third floor.
The office project started in January 2007, and move-in happened by October 2007. The new locale fosters a greater exchange of ideas between employees and a sense of well-being, knowing that the interior makes the most of a healthy design. And then there's the sense of familiarity. Still being in the LoDo district, none of the RNL employees had to change their lunchtime routines.
Interior architecture, engineering, lighting and mechanical: RNL, 1050 17th St., Suite A200, Denver, CO 80265; (303) 295-1717 or www.rnldesign.com.
Solatube daylighting systems: www.solatube.com.
Marmoleum countertop material: www.forbolinoleumna.com.
MechoShade Eco–veil shades: www.mechoshade.com.
3M window film: solutions.3m.com.
McStain Headquarters
Louisville, Colorado
Semple Brown Design | Mary Kay Sunset | Denver, Colorado
PHOTOGRAPHY BY RON POLLARD
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A new glass vestibule clearly marks the redesigned entry. |
After some 40 years in business, the McStain company has made a name for itself as the developer and builder of environmentally friendly neighborhoods and homes in the Boulder area. The firm, founded by Carolyn and Tom Hoyt, who both have architectural backgrounds, endorses a corporate culture that encourages at-work yoga classes, bicycling to the office and memberships in environmental organizations.
Several years ago, when McStain had outgrown its previous quarters, a new locale was found in Louisville, in the form of an existing, circa-1990s, two-story office building. The 43,000-square-foot building was large enough to house some 100 McStain employees and allow a sublease situation, but the building's style and materials did not express the McStain sustainability mission, nor was the floorplan workable for the company's needs. To handle the architectural changes and the interiors, McStain turned to Denver's Semple Brown Design.
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The staircase leading to the McStain offices was renovated to include new metal railings and red beams. |
"The McStain management liked the location of the building," explains Mary Kay Sunset, the Semple Brown Design principal and interior designer who spearheaded the project. "It had easy access to public transportation and was within walking distance to urban amenities, which meant that their employees didn't have to use private vehicles. That's just the kind of company they are."
Sunset and the Semple Brown Design team created a plan that would morph the building from a generic office setting into something McStain-appropriate. "One of the elements we addressed on the building was to create a more defined entrance," says Sunset. A new glass entry vestibule was angled out at the front of the building, shaded by a metal canopy. At dusk, the two-story volume glows, lantern-like, marking the front door.
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Full-height glass walls on the perimeter offices allow interior workstations to have both natural light and views. |
To create a workable floorplan, the Semple Brown team spent a lot of time programming the new space, quizzing employees and principals about needs and work styles. "In the end, we discovered they really needed a space that helped them collaborate and communicate," says Sunset. "That was something that was difficult in their old space, which was a maze of offices."
The final floorplan emphasizes an open ambiance, balanced by private spaces. McStain occupies about 23,000 square feet of the building. The design team placed a building lobby in the new first-floor entrance, which leads to hallways connecting tenants' spaces. McStain's break room, a training area and storage space were placed at the back of the first floor. An open staircase leads up to the second floor, occupied entirely by McStain. There, an angled reception space and main conference room greet visitors. Private offices ring the perimeter of the floorplan, with workstations dominating the majority of the core of the plan. "We made the interior walls of the private offices full-height glass," explains Sunset. "That way, the workstations had access to views and natural daylight, too."
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Wall art opposite the second-floor landing reiterates the company’s mission and is made from recycled building materials. |
The floorplan was designed to encourage movement and mingling. "There are no coffee stations and no break room upstairs," says Sunset. "Everything is downstairs, so that employees will get up and meet one another." Additionally, the floorplan encourages being outdoors. The break room features a garage-style glass door that opens up to an exterior patio. Upstairs, two decks encourage employees to enjoy the mountain air.
As green building was key to McStain's company values, the new office space features many sustainable elements. "We basically gutted the interior," Sunset says, "but the contractor salvaged and reused many materials." Solar shading for the perimeter glazing, light sensors in offices, low-VOC paints and finishes, and recycled-content materials were put to use.
 The company logo provides a backdrop for the reception desk. Visitors can be seated on the rustic alder stools.
To make it all interesting, Sunset used a palette of greens, gold and red — McStain logo colors — plus pale-hued wood finishes. "It's what you'd see in nature, and part of the McStain branding." An exposed ceiling is balanced by concrete and slate flooring, plus carpeting in the main work areas. The second-floor reception area is anchored by a deeply colored reception desk and rustic alder stools. Partition heights of the Knoll workstations were varied for visual interest.
In the entrance, the staircase was modified with new metal railings and red-hued beams. There, on the wall leading up McStain's offices, was the decorative pièce de résistance. A local artist was commissioned to create a three-dimensional work that made creative use of McStain building materials, embellished with phrases such as "re-use" and "environmentally conscious" that reiterate the company's mission.
 Conference rooms feature glass walls, while the height of workstation walls was varied to provide interest.
Architecture and interior design: Semple Brown Design, 1160 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, CO 80204; (303) 571-4137 or www.sbdesign-pc.com.
Builder: Deneuve Construction Services, 23444 Spruce St., Boulder, CO 80322; (303) 444-6633 or www.deneuveconstruction.com.
Knoll workstations: Through Rocky Mountain Desk, 8110 E. Union St., Suite 150, Denver, CO 80237, (303) 799-0400, www.rockymountaindesk.com; or www.knoll.com.
Alder stools: Brent Comber, www.brentcomber.com.
UTAZ Development Corporation
Gilbert, Arizona
Est Est, Incorporated | Tony Sutton, Allied Member ASID; Elaine Alexander, ASID; and Kacie Moore | Scottsdale, Arizona
PHOTOGRAPHY BY TONY HERNANDEZ
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Angled flooring and curves in the reception desk and ceiling line add a sense of movement to the lobby. The artwork includes images of company projects. |
UTAZ Development Corporation, based in the southeastern suburbs of metro Phoenix, is a developer of professional office complexes, primarily marketed toward medical and small-business interests. Rather than creating steel-and-glass high-rises, the firm is known for its residential approach to its designs.
When it came time to create UTAZ's own headquarters, company president Craig Willett wanted a building that reiterated the firm's residential motifs. For the interior design, he tapped the talents at Est Est, a well-established Scottsdale firm best known for its luxurious touch with residential interiors.
"UTAZ wanted their new building to serve as a state-of-the-art prototype for what they develop," explains Elaine Alexander, who worked with fellow Est Est interior designer Kacie Moore and Est Est owner Tony Sutton on the project. "They wanted a comfortable, residential setting that would be a model of where they could go with the company."
Working with architect Mark Fredstrom of Architecture Plus in Phoenix, the designers specified finishes, interior details, furnishings and lighting for the 8,000-square-foot, single-story, Mediterranean-influenced building. The building's rectangular floorplan, designed for some 20 employees, is centered on a lobby and large conference room, flanked on one side by smaller conference rooms and executive offices and on the other by smaller offices, a break room and support spaces.
"We brought in materials, details and furnishings not typically used in an office," explains Moore. "We worked with a color palette of mustard, sage, gold, black, deep brown and a coppery-orange tone that was part of the company's logo."
The design team concentrated on backgrounds to help achieve a residential look, including ceiling and floor design. A curved light deck that echoes the curve of the reception desk marks the reception area. In the main conference room, a coved ceiling includes light troughs for illumination. In other parts of the office, coffered ceilings add a residential richness. In the entry, granite tiles were laid on the diagonal, bordered with narrow strips of black marble, to create a sense of motion and direct visitors to hallways that connect offices and conference areas. Cherry wood flooring warms the president's office, while custom-dyed, copper-hued carpeting repeats the company's color throughout much of the rest of the interior.
 The president's office exudes a luxurious, residential feeling with the addition of leather sofas, an Oriental rug and custom draperies.
Moore, Alexander and Sutton added other custom details to the spaces, including inserting an opaque, laminated rice paper "window" between the reception area and main conference room, and adding a faux leather wall, done in a grid pattern, on one side of that conference room. Hallways were finished with crown and base moulding.
Furnishings were chosen for their comfortable, traditional appeal. In the reception area, visitors are greeted with a dark cherry reception desk, topped with granite, and can await appointments in armchairs upholstered in a striped velvet fabric. The main conference room features a cherry-finished table that contains a data-port trough, surrounded by deep, leather chairs. A smaller conference room also has a table with a data-port trough and features leather and chenille chairs with a dining-room appeal. The president's office includes inviting leather sofas, an Oriental rug and custom draperies for windows overlooking a hallway.
The designers finished the office with lighting that includes custom ceiling fixtures and plenty of table lamps. Artwork displayed is primarily photographs of recent UTAZ projects.
The UTAZ team has settled into the new setting and utilizes it as part of the firm's overall marketing plan. "They want to show clients how one of their buildings could look," says Sutton.
Interior design, custom lighting and furniture: Est Est Incorporated, 17770 Pacesetter Way, Scottsdale, AZ 85255; (480) 563-1555 or www.estestinc.com.
Architecture: Architecture Plus, 9002 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85020; (602) 264-7500 or www.architectureplusltd.com.
Builder: Porter Brothers General Contractors, 1285 N. Fiesta Blvd., Gilbert, AZ 85233; (480) 545-7272 or www.porterbrothers.com.
Stone flooring: Arizona Tile, www.arizonatile.com.
Custom light fixtures: Manufactured by Hinkley's Lighting Factory, www.hinkleyslighting.com.
Main conference table: HBF, www.hbf.com.
Conference chairs: Paoli, www.paoli.com.
Oriental rug: Azadi Fine Rugs, www.azadifinerugs.com.
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