BAW Architecture Design Studio, Human Factors Laboratory & Offices

BAW Architecture’s office in Denver, Colorado occupies an existing building with classical references. The BAW team set about redesigning it to promote greater collaboration and enhance productivity among the three different teams at the firm.

The solution is an open space with low walls, such that everyone in the room is visible in a single glance. Individual workstations exist, but there are continuous, counter-style work surfaces that extend around each space, to promote collaboration and cross-pollination of ideas. The room is modularized into three sections to accommodate the different teams.

Upon arrival to the office studio, guests are greeted with a reception area with views to the formal conference room and Rocky Mountains beyond.

Lighting and acoustics are state-of-the-art, as might be expected of a company that has been redefining best practices for decades in these fields. A row of existing post tensioned round concrete columns define the “colonnade”. This space establishes the primary pedestrian circulation through the design studio. The colonnade also serves as an informal meeting area supported by a full length “pin up wall” for collaboration of drawings and other graphic material. Red felt panels, punctured with circles that allow light to pass, create acoustic and visual separation from the colonnade, and add tactile richness. Materials are sumptuous in color and texture, while white is the accent. The two principals each have a private office adjacent to an informal collaboration work area. Contact BAW to find out more.