Architect: Szostak Design, Inc
Location of Project: Chapel Hill, NC
Project Completion Date: July, 2014
Short Description: This 3,400 square foot office space up-fit provides creative space for a Chapel Hill-based advertising agency. The crisply rendered, minimalist design features open office work stations, conferencing and breakout spaces and a 1,200 square foot mezzanine. Conceived as a design-build project, the architect served as both designer and general contractor, completing all phases of the work in a little under four months.
Architect’s Statement: This first time up-fit of an existing 3,400 sf space on the ground floor of the environmentally friendly Greenbridge Building in Chapel Hill, North Carolina was designed for a growing advertising agency. In order to accommodate an ultimate workforce of 35 people, a mezzanine of over 1,200 square feet was added to the space, which includes the director’s office, mechanical room and an open work area that overlooks the entry level. The main level space, featuring an open plan with modern workstations that line the high ceiling spaces along the exterior window walls, also includes a reception area, conference room, two executive offices, collaborative work spaces, kitchen, bathrooms and storage. Despite a very modest budget, the designers were able to include oak flooring in most of the spaces, built-in casework in matching oak with stone tops, and custom made furniture pieces for the reception desk and main work table. Simple, frameless glass was used to provide views from the offices, as well as create a small breakout room on the mezzanine at the top of the stairs. The design of the space was structurally challenging, as the added weight of the required loft structure was too great for the existing floor, which sits over an underground parking garage. Structural steel was required to span between the existing concrete columns and carry the load of the mezzanine structure and concrete slab. Heating and cooling of the space is achieved with heat pumps that tie into the building’s central condensate supply system. All lighting in the space is achieved with high efficiency LED fixtures. The architect also served as general contractor for the project, which was competed in the Summer of 2014.
Type of Construction: Structural steel, light gauge steel framing, lightweight concrete on metal decking, powder coated steel stairs and rails, gypsum board, oak flooring, natural stone and architect-selected furnishings and artwork.