Cushman & Wakefield Atlanta
Architects Involved:
N/A
Additional Team:
General Contractor - Humphries and Company, LLC
Structural Engineer - Uzun & Case
Mechanical Engineer - Salas O'Brien
Project Description
Cushman & Wakefield Atlanta was looking to reaffirm their place in the Atlanta market and demonstrate their industry leadership with an interactive office that supports choice in the workplace and explores shared collaborative space that extends to the community.
The design driver was simple: “blurring the lines between business hours and social hours.” Their new office would invite clients and community groups to join “Cushman Central,” a concept centered around creating a social experience to encourage connection with people internally and externally. Collaboration spaces were thought about as the best hospitality spaces in the city – a concierge, a gallery, a hotel lobby, the neighborhood bar, that window seat with the best view. For the workplace, a strategy of less “me” space and more “we” space was employed to maximize the footprint that could be devoted to spaces that blurred the lines and served a duality of purposes.
More than just a reception area, the entrance is a multipurposed, hospitality focused hub of activity. A flexible space to receive hosts of visitors, the two-story, open reception area frames a monumental stair, which leads to a dramatic bridge connecting the quiet library and the social hub upstairs. A bar is integrated under the stairs which can be stocked for private events at night or an alternate workspace during the day. The bar can host breakfast, meetings, or cocktail happy hour. A stage is built into the stair as well, one that opens into a multipurpose area with sliding glass walls to hold up to 150 people for events and guest speakers.
A highlight of the office, the innovation and research lab showcases their research, industry trends, and information displayed on a smart screen and projected on a glass wall. This highly visible area exhibits the latest propriety research that gives Cushman an edge on the industry. The quiet library zone is enclosed with clear glass to allow for focused work but maintains visual openness. The office design enables relentless curiosity by fleshing out collaboration space. The design created less office space in favor of alternate types of working like huddle rooms, lounge seating, focus rooms, and collaboration booths.
A strong tie to local roots was incorporated by references to Atlanta as a city that was shaped by the railroad industry. The diagonal that breaks the city grid and creates streets parallel to railroad tracks was referenced repeatedly in the design with diagonal moves that shift the orthogonal and create dynamic tension and drama in the space. Blackened steel and actual rails are used as bold statements that reference the tracks. Lighting is also used as a visual cue: linear fixtures reinforce the journey while glowing coves signal the hospitality destination.