Project Description
Charles Rose Architects adaptively reused a former industrial building, the Seaholm Power Plant, for athenahealth Inc.’s new offices—an IT company that provides cloud-based services for electronic health records, medical billing, and patient engagement. The interior design and architectural interventions were inspired by the Art Deco-like structure and that era’s iconic advertising posters. With 70 employees and rapid, projected growth, the space employs flexible design strategies throughout.
Turbine Hall—the large, central space— provides a “field” for open workstations and glass meeting rooms. These glass meeting spaces, known as “huddle rooms,” are capped with colorful, faceted roofs that punctuate the length of the vast space with the company’s brand colors. Integrating forward-looking information technology was central to the design but also the inclusion of historic artifacts, celebrating the building’s roots.
The company’s work methodology centers on collaboration; the design provides a variety of spaces and tools that support as well as engender interaction and exchange. Different meeting spaces, technological devices, and surfaces—like writable walls—allow for planned forums as much as impromptu discussions.
Phase 1 and 2 are built. Phase 3 and 4 are in progress.
Awards:
2016 RECONSTRUCTION AWARDS: GOLD, Building Design+Construction Magazine
2016 COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE AWARDS: OVERALL WINNER, Austin Business Journal
2016 URBAN LIGHT AWARD, Downtown Austin Neighborhood Association
THE 2016 INFLUENCE IMPACT AWARD, ULI Austin
2015 PRESERVATION AUSTIN’S MERIT AWARD FOR REHABILITATION, Preservation Austin
ENR TOP TEXAS STARTS FOR 2013, ENR Texas & Louisiana