donat wald company

The renovation of an existing office space was undertaken to create organizational and architectural continuity in what once were three separate tenant spaces. The first goal of the project was to correct the poor circulation patterns that characterized the office and prevented effective teamwork and efficient movement. The space was reorganized around a "main street" that connects all work areas, meeting spaces and storage and support rooms.

The second goal was the simplifying of a busy material and color palette. The existing building shell consists of exposed masonry walls, hardwood floors and steel moment frames. These elements had to remain in place. Existing metal panel finishes, extraneous wood veneers, and intense paint colors were removed. The office interior was conceived as a blank slate where the application of thoughts and ideas creates dynamism and energy. New surfaces ranged from transparent to opaque, but are neutral in material, color and texture.

Finally, the homogeneous spatial characteristics of a typical office were broken down to reinforce spatial legibility and visual continuity. Specifically, the heights of partitions and casework are varied throughout the space to use the abundant natural light to its best effect.