Project Description
This project entailed the conversion of an existing one-story, square-shaped 50,000 square foot lab building into a global headquarters for Systech International, a leading technology science, consumer goods, and transportation manufacturing industries.
The existing building was a purpose built structure, but no more than a cold dark shell, and in order to meet the challenge of creating an open, light-filled employee work environment, perimeter offices were pulled to the interior leaving meeting rooms, hoteling desks, and break-out areas at the window line with staff work stations set between in high-bay open ceiling areas. The interior offices are held by a continuous curving ‘track’ wall which loops through the center of the floor plan. The six-inch spacing of the vertical wood fins create a rhythm and an implied depth to the wall defining both public visitor areas and employee common areas along its path. The opposing spaces between the interior offices are glass fronted meeting rooms with a diachronic film which color shifts depending on one’s viewing angle.
For employee health and well-being, it was imperative to draw natural light into the deep floorplan and thus new skylights were placed into common areas which would otherwise be devoid of natural light, this concentrated effort virtually eliminated the need for artificial light support. Beam elements are layered into the skylight openings to modulate the scale of the ceiling voids and limit sightlines up to the sky.
The existing concrete floor has been refinished and sealed, exposing a variegated visual texture of aggregate in the circulation and common areas. Enclosed rooms are carpeted with vibrant solid colors while the open workstation areas sit on a randomized pattern of carpet tile drawn from the enclosed room colors. These elements along with the ‘track’ wall define a clear circulation through the building and reinforce the innovative quality of the company.
Systech International is also one of the few LEED Gold-CI projects in New Jersey, a challenge set forth in effort to participate in Grow New Jersey initiative.