100 Green
to show on all pages: We love helping our clients grow their businesses into new spaces. When one of our long-time clients, Structure Properties, outgrew their space, we were thrilled when they asked us to help them design a high-tech office for their team.
They found an incredible, historic building, on the corner of Green Street and Battery and we went to work creating the perfect office for them. We exposed the stunning brickwork, buried under layers of paint and sheetrock. We stripped the ceiling finishes to maximize ceiling heights and add texture. We created a front office for visitors, and secret “war room” area at the rear which is privatized just for their team. A massive digital screen allows the entire team to keep up to date with action items, trends, and customer requests.
In addition to their office space, we stretched our space planning skills to the maximum to carve out to small food services spaces. The first, fronting onto Green Street, is currently occupied by Chica, a Mexican take-out window. In just 87 sf in size measuring only 8’ x 10’-9” we were able to create a full prep kitchen. The large historic windows were perfect to utilize this small space, and during a typical work day you will find a line wrapped down the block to queue up to their take out window.
The second space fronting into Battery, occupied by Bunn Mike Vietnamese is even smaller, with only 51 sf measuring 6’-6” x 7’-9.” This space required reinstating a historic door opening. We created a dutch-door with classic historic details so this space can turn into a take-out window in an instant.
Credits
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Contractor:
- Lawrence Construction—Tom Lawrence
- Daniel Knight Construction
danknightconstruction.com
Dan.Knight@DanKnightConstruction.com
510.350.9154
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Photographer:
- Realvision
- real.vision
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To create our client’s ideal layout, we removed all the interior partitions including a reframing of the main stair to the offices on the upper levels. The main entry for their office is fully separated from their private offices and war room space, that can only be reached through a rear corridor. Our client joked that a retinal scanner would be required to access the second leg of the office and only their most trusted customers reach this hidden part of their space.
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The existing bathroom received a complete gut renovation, and a second bathroom was installed to accommodate the large office size. We featured the brick walls, accenting with modern tiles, fixtures, and accessories for a clean, new look.
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The entry received all new finishes, including windows into the adjacent offices to help bring in natural light. Our clients hi-tech focus is present in the entry where a motion sensor triggers the large screen and a virtual assistant greets you.
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We breathed life into a dark back hallway, pulling natural light from the adjacent spaces, and painting all the surfaces white. This hidden hallway leads the special few clients who get to see it into the team “war room.”
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Although the private offices and war room are typically not seen by clients, we treated it as if it was a forward facing part of the office, stripping the brick and exposing the ceilings just like the rest of their space. Our client also had a furniture maker custom make the work stations and private desks with a strong industrial aesthetic.
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Strangely, the previous office had large roll-up doors at the lobby entries. We stripped those out for installation of a small food-service business, and the private offices in our clients war room.
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At the guest bath, we installed a simple limestone floor tile in a chevron pattern. Also, we used a floating mahogany cabinet and custom concrete sink. We took advantage of storage opportunities everywhere possible; here you can see shelving recessed into the wall at the foot of the tub. Inside the tub, all the tile joints are aligned; even to the extent of being centered on the shower standard equipment. We also recessed a portion of the tile wall for shampoo bottled; not shown here.
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The corner conference room was no exception to the hidden features throughout this unique office. Tucked into the corner is a room with a hidden door leading to a secret bar for those meetings that you need a cocktail to get through.
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To maximize natural light from the limited historic windows, each office, break-out room, and small conference space were created with large panes of glass and transoms to draw as much light through the space as possible.
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In addition to their office space, we stretched our space planning skills to the maximum to carve out to small food services spaces. The first, fronting onto Green Street, is currently occupied by Chica, a Mexican take-out window. In just 87 sf in size measuring only 8’ x 10’-9” we were able to create a full prep kitchen. The large historic windows were perfect to utilize this small space, and during a typical work day you will find a line wrapped down the block to queue up to their take out window.
The second space fronting into Battery, occupied by Bunn Mike Vietnamese is even smaller, with only 51 sf measuring 6’-6” x 7’-9.” This space required reinstating a historic door opening. We created a dutch-door with classic historic details so this space can turn into a take-out window in an instant.
