2011 AIA Potomac Valley Design Awards Citation Award Winner
Hickok Cole Architects
Association
Built, Interiors
Alexandria, Virginia
As an advocate for the visual and graphic communications industry, this client wanted a space that would showcase the constituency it represents. Graphic communication and the fl ow of information are paramount to this trade association and they desired an office that would reflect this idea. The client selected a location with a barbell-shaped floor plan that provided a challenge to their goal of enhancing communication within the organization.
The sleek, modern design is based on the concept of neon and the flow of light it creates, expressing the client’s mission of graphic communication. The space plan reinforces the idea of flow with a main circulation corridor extending from one end of the space to the other to enhance communication.
Neon lighting, an integral part of signage graphics, identifies specific areas using the RGB spectrum typically found in the digital imaging process.
- Green – gathering
- Blue – greeting
- Magenta – wayfinding
Pictograms and international signage symbols identify shared support functions such as conferencing, pantry and reception. Undulating forms are used throughout the Architecture to convey and reinforce the idea of visual flow. These forms imbue the personality of the client and the creative companies they represent.
Translucent graphics adhered to the glass-front offices, allow natural lighting into the interior and create a visual flow throughout the space. Designers addressed the requirement for privacy within offices by varying the height of the graphics, providing privacy to seated occupants and allowing vision into the corridors only when occupants are standing.
To facilitate employee collaboration and provide the opportunity for incidental contact in the long, narrow space, designers centralized all common areas, encouraging staff from both ends of the floor to meet in the middle.