As we approached the design to our new office building, we realized this was our opportunity to concretely express our core values and design philosophy.  This will be our workspace, our environment and the public face of our firm to our clients and the community.  

The core program was to build sustainable offices for 70 to 100 employees that promote a creative and interactive workplace.  Our design process was guided by our core values related to business, clients/markets, community, design, environment and people.

Our design approach focused on the building’s connection to its surrounding environment, sustainability, the architectural expression of sustainability and a truly integrated process from the very beginning.  Prior to purchase of the building, preliminary energy modeling and material studies were done to determine the potential of the existing building.  Prior to the start of the design process, there were two community charrettes that included members of the community, some of our clients, consultants and our employees.  These charrettes were used to explore values, goals, expectations and ideas. 

The overall design process involved constant interaction between the members of the design team (architects, engineers, environmental consultants, construction manager, building users and owner).  Building systems were evaluated to find synergies between systems that would allow the entire building to be optimized.  Simultaneously, the architectural expressions of these systems were explored and materials were investigated to determine embodied energy content, life-cycle costs and impact on the indoor environment.  The interior space promotes a team oriented work environment, with connection to the outdoor environment through views, daylighting and access to fresh air.  The material selected for the upper exterior cladding is white oak boarding, harvested from FSC certified forests in Pennsylvania.  The project was the first LEED Platinum building designed in Central New York.